Commercial dishwasher with a drying module, method for operating such a dishwasher and drying module for a dishwasher

Abstract

The invention relates to a commercial dishwasher (1) in the form of a hood-type dishwasher or in the form of a universal dishwasher, wherein the dishwasher (1) has a hood (2) movable in a vertical direction between an open position and a closed position, wherein the hood (2) has two opposing side walls (3) and a front wall (4) connecting the side walls (3), wherein in the closed position of the hood (2) the side walls (3) and the front wall (4) of the hood (2) define a treatment chamber (5) of the dishwasher (1), and wherein in the open position of the hood (2) the side walls (3) and the front wall (4) of the hood (2) are located above an upper wall and / or ceiling area (6) which defines the treatment chamber (5) upwards and is firmly connected to a rear wall (7) of the treatment chamber (5) and at least partially or partially defines a free space laterally.According to the invention, it is particularly provided that the dishwasher (1) has a drying module (8) which is arranged on the upper wall area (6) of the dishwasher (1) and is designed in such a way that it is completely enclosed in the free space which is laterally limited by the side walls (3) and the front wall (4) of the hood (2) in the open position of the hood (2).

Description

[0001] The invention generally relates to the field of commercial dishwashing. More specifically, the invention relates to dishwashers, particularly commercial dishwashers designed as programmable automatic dishwashers.

[0002] Programmable dishwashers are manually loaded and unloaded. These automated dishwashers (also known as box-type or batch dishwashers) can be pass-through dishwashers, also called hood-type warewashers, or front-loaders. Front-loaders can be undercounter machines, top-counter machines, or freestanding front-loaders.

[0003] A dishwasher designed as a programmable automatic dishwasher typically has a treatment chamber for cleaning dishes. A wash tank is usually located below the treatment chamber, into which liquid from the treatment chamber can flow back by gravity. The wash tank contains wash liquid, which is usually water, to which detergent can be added if necessary.

[0004] Furthermore, a dishwasher designed as a programmable automatic dishwasher typically has a wash system with a wash pump, a pipe system connected to the wash pump, and a plurality of spray nozzles formed in at least one wash arm. The wash liquid in the wash tank can be pumped by the wash pump via the pipe system to the wash nozzles and sprayed onto the items to be cleaned by the wash nozzles in the treatment chamber. The sprayed wash liquid then flows back into the wash tank.

[0005] Such a dishwasher designed as a programmer is known, for example, from the document DE 10 2005 023 429 A1.

[0006] The term "washable items" as used herein includes, in particular, dishes, glasses, cutlery, cooking utensils, baking utensils and serving trays.

[0007] A commercial dishwasher designed as a programmable automatic dishwasher differs from a domestic dishwasher in that a commercial dishwasher must be designed to allow program runs of between one and five minutes, depending on the selected cleaning program, whereas domestic dishwashers typically have run times of up to 2.5 hours or more. Due to the short program durations required for commercial dishwashers, the technologies used in domestic dishwashers are generally not readily transferable to commercial dishwashers.

[0008] Commercial dishwashers designed as programmable automatic machines usually operate in two main process steps: a first step, which involves washing with a washing liquid, and a second step, which involves rinsing with heated fresh water and dosed rinse aid.

[0009] To perform these process steps, a commercial dishwasher designed as a programmable automatic machine is typically equipped with two independent, completely separate fluid systems. One fluid system is a wash water circuit, which is responsible for washing the dishes, with the washing being carried out using recirculated water from the dishwasher's wash tank. The other fluid system is a fresh water system, which is responsible for the final rinse. The final rinse is carried out with fresh water, preferably fresh water from a water heater. The fresh water, after spraying, is also collected by the dishwasher's wash tank.

[0010] The primary function of the final rinse is to remove any caustic soda from the washware. In addition, the rinse water flowing into the wash tank during the final rinse step serves to regenerate the wash water present in the wash tank.

[0011] Before fresh water is sprayed as rinse aid through the final rinse and thus fed into the wash tank of the dishwasher, an amount of wash liquid equal to the amount of fresh water is pumped out of the wash tank.

[0012] Commercial dishwashers designed as programmable automatic dishwashers are typically equipped with several programs. These programs differ primarily in the length of the wash cycle. The operator has the option of selecting a short wash program for lightly soiled items or a correspondingly longer wash program for heavily soiled items.

[0013] Commercial dishwashers designed as automatic programmers and for batch-wise loading and unloading of the treatment chamber with wash ware are primarily front-loading machines or pass-through rack machines. With front-loading machines, the wash ware is placed in a rack, and the loaded rack is placed through a front door into the treatment chamber of the dishwasher and removed again through the front door after cleaning. With pass-through rack machines, the loaded dish baskets are manually pushed into the treatment chamber from an inlet side and manually removed from the treatment chamber from an outlet side after the end of a wash program. Front-loading machines and pass-through rack machines contain only a single treatment chamber for treating the wash ware. Front-loading machines can be undercounter or overcounter machines.

[0014] In commercial dishwashers designed as programmable automatic dishwashers, two drying processes are primarily used. In the first process, the hot dishes are removed from the machine after the final rinse process, where they are then allowed to dry in the ambient air for four to ten minutes. In the process described above, the dishes are usually left in the racks in which they were placed for cleaning in the dishwasher.

[0015] According to the second method, applicable to commercial front-loading or under-counter dishwashers, air drying takes place within the treatment chamber of the dishwasher. Fresh air drying systems are used here. Such fresh-air drying systems for commercial front-loading or under-counter dishwashers always operate with a high air volume flow in the range of 25 to 100 m³ per hour in order to be able to dry the dishes remaining in the treatment chamber in a very short time. The high air volume flows are due to the short drying process in commercial applications. Compared to conventional drying in a domestic dishwasher, the active drying time of a commercial dishwasher is many times shorter. While the program runtime for drying in a domestic dishwasher is approximately 30 minutes to 2.5 hours, the program runtime for drying in commercial applications is between 1.5 and 5 minutes.

[0016] During air drying in a commercial dishwasher designed as a front-loading or undercounter dishwasher, fresh air is drawn in from outside and passed through the dishwasher's treatment chamber to absorb moisture from the items being dried. Typically, the moisture-laden drying air is then exhausted into the dishwasher's installation space.

[0017] However, such air drying within the treatment chamber is not common for hood-type dishwashers, as hood-type dishwashers are designed so that immediately after the final rinse phase, the hood is opened and the dishes, usually held in wash baskets, are removed. The dishes can then dry in the ambient air according to the first drying process.

[0018] Especially due to the increasing need to clean reusable plastic ware, solutions are being sought to integrate an active drying function into the washing process with a hood and / or universal dishwasher, since plastic ware has a poor self-drying effect due to its low heat capacity, and it is therefore necessary to integrate an active drying step after the washing process.

[0019] The invention is based in particular on the object of integrating a powerful drying function into the installation space of a commercially available hood-type dishwasher, so that no additional installation space outside the machine base area is required for the drying function.

[0020] This object is achieved in particular by the subject matter of independent patent claim 1, wherein advantageous developments of the inventive solution are specified in the dependent patent claims.

[0021] Accordingly, the invention relates in particular to a commercial dishwasher in the form of a hood-type dishwasher, in particular a hood-type pass-through dishwasher, wherein the dishwasher has a hood that is movable, in particular linearly displaceable, in the vertical direction between an open position and a closed position. The hood has two opposing side walls and a front wall connecting the side walls. In the closed position of the hood, the side walls and the front wall of the hood at least partially or partially delimit a treatment chamber of the dishwasher. In the open position of the hood, however, the side walls and the front wall of the hood are located at least partially or partially above an upper wall and / or ceiling region that delimits the treatment chamber at the top and is firmly connected to a rear wall of the treatment chamber, and there delimit at least partially or partially a free space.

[0022] The solution according to the invention is characterized in particular in that the dishwasher has a drying module which is arranged on the horizontal wall and / or ceiling area of ​​the dishwasher and is designed in such a way that it is completely accommodated in the free space which is laterally delimited by the side walls and the front of the hood when the hood is in the open position.

[0023] The advantages achievable with the solution according to the invention are obvious: by providing such a drying module, a hood-type dishwasher can also be equipped with a powerful drying function without increasing the installation space of a standard hood-type dishwasher, since the drying module is fully integrated into the required installation space of a standard hood-type dishwasher. In other words, despite the provision of the drying module, no additional installation space outside the machine's footprint is required for the drying function.

[0024] Since the drying module is integrated vertically using the available installation space, an identical installation area (floor space) of the machine can be achieved compared to standard hood dishwashers without a drying module.

[0025] On the other hand, the drying module guarantees high drying efficiency, as the drying module circulates air within the closed treatment chamber of the hood-type dishwasher, thus enabling a very high circulation rate / air volume flow to be achieved without causing high losses in the installation room.

[0026] Independently of this, the solution according to the invention allows an increased drying temperature to be set, since the drying air is circulated within the treatment chamber of the hood-type dishwasher.

[0027] Preferably, the drying module is designed such that an upper wall and / or ceiling region of the drying module lies in a horizontal plane which is vertically spaced by a maximum of 30 cm, preferably by a maximum of 25 cm and more preferably by a maximum of 20 cm from the horizontal plane in which an upper edge region of the side walls and / or the front wall of the hood lies in the open position of the hood.

[0028] The upper wall and / or ceiling area delimiting the treatment chamber of the dishwasher according to the invention and the rear wall of the treatment chamber are in particular fixedly connected to a machine frame or a base frame of the dishwasher.

[0029] With regard to the drying module according to the invention, it is particularly provided that it has a housing and a suction fan accommodated in the housing, in particular in the form of a radial or axial fan. A fresh air inlet is provided in the housing and preferably in the upper wall and / or ceiling area of ​​the housing, through which fresh air can be sucked into the housing from the installation space of the dishwasher. Furthermore, a drying air outlet is provided in the housing, which is in fluid connection with a drying air inlet of the treatment chamber and through which the fresh air sucked into the housing of the drying module with the aid of the suction fan can be fed to the treatment chamber. When the drying module is mounted on the dishwasher, the drying air inlet of the treatment chamber corresponds to the drying air outlet of the drying module.

[0030] In this embodiment, it is particularly provided that an effective flow cross-section of the fresh air inlet provided in the housing is preferably variably adjustable, in particular with the aid of a ventilation slide associated with the fresh air inlet.

[0031] According to implementations of the dishwasher according to the invention, the drying air inlet of the treatment chamber, which is in fluid communication with the drying air outlet of the drying module, is formed in the upper wall and / or ceiling area of ​​the treatment chamber that defines the upper boundary of the treatment chamber. Of course, other design variants are also conceivable.

[0032] It is preferably provided that an air nozzle system with a plurality of adjustable air nozzles is assigned to the drying air outlet of the drying module or to the drying air inlet of the treatment chamber which is in fluid connection with the drying air outlet of the drying module in order to align the drying air to be introduced or introduced into the treatment chamber accordingly with regard to the items to be dried or treated.

[0033] According to implementations of the dishwasher according to the invention, it has at least one air outlet to provide pressure equalization in the treatment chamber when drying air is introduced into the treatment chamber. In particular, the air outlet thus serves to discharge the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber. In this case, it is particularly suitable for the at least one air outlet to be formed at least partially or in regions, preferably in the upper wall and / or ceiling region of the treatment chamber that defines the upper boundary of the treatment chamber.

[0034] According to preferred implementations, the dishwasher has a first air outlet for discharging a first portion of the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber, for example, into the installation space of the dishwasher, and a second air outlet for discharging a second portion of the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber. The second air outlet is preferably in fluid communication with an air inlet formed in the housing of the drying module.

[0035] In this context, it is conceivable for the dishwasher to be assigned a heat exchanger system to which at least a portion of the drying air discharged via the first air outlet of the dishwasher can be fed, namely before the drying air is released into the room in which the dishwasher is installed. In this respect, the blowing of the drying air into the room in which the dishwasher is installed cannot have any negative impact on the room climate, since the blowing out of drying air that is laden with moisture and warm compared to the air in the room in which the dishwasher is installed prevents the humidity content of the air in the room in which the dishwasher is installed (ambient air) from being increased. In particular, this measure can counteract the risk of the humidity content of the air in the room in which the dishwasher is installed increasing to such an extent that undesirable condensation of water vapor occurs, particularly on cool boundary surfaces in the room in which the dishwasher is installed.

[0036] Even in the last-mentioned embodiments of the dishwasher according to the invention, it is advisable that an effective flow cross-section of the first air outlet is preferably variably adjustable, in particular with the aid of a ventilation slider assigned to the first air outlet.

[0037] Alternatively or additionally, an effective flow cross-section of the second air outlet and / or an effective flow cross-section of the air inlet of the drying module that is in fluid connection with the second air outlet is preferably variably adjustable, in particular by means of at least one ventilation slide.

[0038] According to implementations of the dishwasher according to the invention, the housing of the drying module is divided into a first area and a second area. The fresh air inlet of the drying module and the air inlet fluidly connected to the second air outlet of the treatment chamber of the dishwasher open into the first area of ​​the housing of the drying module. The drying air inlet of the treatment chamber opens into the second area of ​​the housing of the drying module.

[0039] In particular, it is provided that the suction side of the suction fan is in fluid communication with the first region of the housing of the drying module and the pressure side of the suction fan is in fluid communication with the second region of the housing of the drying module.

[0040] According to further developments of the last-mentioned embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention, it is provided that a heating device, in particular one that can be regulated or optionally switched on, is arranged in the second region of the housing of the drying module in order to heat, in particular as required, the air supplied to the second region of the housing of the drying module via the suction fan.

[0041] The heating device comprises, in particular, at least one electrically operated heating element. In addition to the heating device of the drying module, the dishwasher comprises at least one further electrically operated heating device to heat the treatment liquid to be sprayed during operation of the dishwasher, as needed.

[0042] In this context, it is advantageous that a control device is provided which is designed to control the electrical power consumption of the heating device of the drying module as a function of an electrical power consumption of the further electrically operated heating device in order to ensure that, despite the provision of the drying module, the total connected load of the dishwasher is not increased compared to a conventional hood-type dishwasher.

[0043] Optionally, a drying device can be assigned to the suction fan of the drying module for drying at least the air supplied to the housing of the drying module via the air inlet fluidly connected to the second air outlet of the treatment chamber and / or the fresh air sucked into the housing via the fresh air inlet from the installation space of the dishwasher.

[0044] According to a further aspect of the invention, the dishwasher can have an air duct system through which at least a portion of the fresh air drawn into the housing of the drying module by the suction fan can be supplied to the treatment chamber. In particular, the air is supplied from the side or from below.

[0045] According to a further aspect of the invention, the dishwasher comprises a dishware detection device configured to detect the type of dishware and, in particular, the material of the dishware accommodated in the treatment chamber of the dishwasher. The dishwasher further comprises a control device configured to set, depending on the detected type of dishware or the material of the dishware accommodated in the treatment chamber of the dishwasher, a temperature of the drying air supplied to the treatment chamber by the drying module, a quantity of drying air supplied to the treatment chamber per unit of time, a time for activating the drying module, and / or a duration of activating the drying module.

[0046] The present invention further relates to a method for operating a dishwasher, wherein the dishwasher is a dishwasher of the aforementioned type according to the invention. The method provides the following method steps: (i) loading the treatment chamber of the dishwasher with items to be cleaned while the hood is in its open position; (ii) moving the hood to its closed position; (iii) carrying out a washing process in which washing liquid is sprayed onto the items to be washed in a recirculated manner; and (iv) carrying out a rinsing process in which rinsing liquid is sprayed onto the items to be washed.

[0047] In the method according to the invention, it is provided in particular that after completion of the final rinsing process, the drying module is activated in order to expose the cleaned items to be washed within the closed treatment chamber to air, and in particular to heated drying air.

[0048] Alternatively or additionally, it is conceivable that between process step (iii) and process step (iv) the drying module is activated, preferably for up to 15 seconds, in order to expose the cleaned dishes to air during a so-called draining phase between the washing phase and the final rinsing phase.

[0049] The invention further relates to a drying module designed, in particular, to be mounted on an upper wall and / or ceiling area of ​​a commercial dishwasher designed as a programmable automatic dishwasher. The commercial dishwasher can be, in particular, a hood-type dishwasher or a front-loader. The drying module can, in particular, be retrofitted to the dishwasher.

[0050] The drying module comprises a housing and a suction fan accommodated in the housing, in particular in the form of a radial or axial fan. A fresh air inlet is provided in the housing and preferably in the upper wall and / or ceiling region of the housing of the drying module, through which fresh air can be sucked into the housing. Furthermore, a drying air outlet is provided in the housing, through which the fresh air sucked into the housing of the drying module by means of the suction fan can be fed to the treatment chamber of a dishwasher. In particular, it is provided that an effective flow cross-section of the fresh air inlet provided in the housing is preferably variably adjustable, in particular by means of a ventilation slide associated with the fresh air inlet.

[0051] According to further developments of the drying module according to the invention, an air inlet is formed in the housing of the drying module, through which air can be supplied from the housing to the treatment chamber of the dishwasher. In particular, it is advantageous in this context for the effective flow cross-section of the air inlet of the drying module to be variably adjustable, in particular by means of at least one ventilation slide.

[0052] Preferably, the housing of the drying module is divided into a first area, into which the fresh air inlet of the drying module and an air inlet of the drying module, which can be brought into fluid communication with the treatment chamber of the dishwasher, open, and a second area, in which the drying air outlet of the drying module is provided. The suction side of the suction fan is in fluid communication with the first area, and the pressure side of the suction fan is in fluid communication with the second area.

[0053] In the second region of the housing of the drying module, a heating device, in particular one that can be controlled or optionally switched on, is preferably arranged for heating, in particular as needed, the air supplied to the second region of the housing of the drying module via the suction fan.

[0054] Alternatively or additionally, it is provided that a drying device is assigned to the suction fan of the drying module for drying at least the air supplied to the housing of the drying module via the air inlet which can be brought into fluid communication with the treatment chamber of the dishwasher.

[0055] An exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] They show: FIG. 1A schematically and in an isometric view, the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention, in a state in which the hood of the dishwasher is in its closed position; FIG. 1B schematically and in a view of the front of the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 1A ; FIG. 1C schematically and in a side view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 1A ; FIG. 1D schematically and in a plan view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 1A ; FIG. 2 schematically and in a sectional view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 1C ; FIG. 3 schematically and in a sectional view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 1A ; FIG. 4A schematically and in an isometric view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 1A , in a state in which the hood of the dishwasher is in its open position; FIG. 4B schematically and in a front view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 4A ; FIG. 4C schematically and in a side view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 4A ; FIG. 4D schematically and in a plan view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 4A ; FIG. 5 schematically and in a sectional view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 4C ; FIG. 6 schematically and in a sectional view the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher according to the invention according to FIG. 4A .

[0057] The exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher 1 according to the invention shown in the drawings is designed as a hood-type dishwasher, which can be loaded and unloaded via a hood 2 with a washing basket. The hood 2 can be pushed upwards vertically using a handle.

[0058] Such hood dishwashers are designed to clean large quantities of dishes in the shortest possible time.

[0059] For example, in a HOBART hood-type dishwasher, the duration of the preset standard program, which is usually used for normally soiled dishes such as plates, bowls, cups and glasses, is only about 70 seconds, i.e. the theoretical capacity is up to 52 dish baskets per hour.

[0060] Almost without exception, commercial dishwashers 1 are equipped with rotating washing and rinsing systems. A washing and rinsing system typically consists of a washing arm and a rinsing arm. A commercial dishwasher 1 of the type considered here typically has an upper and a lower washing and rinsing system.

[0061] During operation, the wash liquor (washing liquid) is pumped from the wash tank to the wash arms via a piping system. The wash arms then press the wash liquor / wash liquid onto the items to be cleaned. This loosens the dirt from the items and separates it into the wash liquor. The wash liquor then flows back into the wash tank of dishwasher 1 via a sieve system that retains coarse dirt residues.

[0062] Furthermore, a rinse aid system is provided for pumping rinse aid liquid by means of a rinse aid pump through a rinse aid line system to rinse aid nozzles, which are directed toward the area of ​​the dishes to be cleaned in the treatment chamber 5 of the dishwasher 1. The sprayed rinse aid liquid falls by gravity from the treatment chamber 5 into the wash tank. The rinse aid line system connects the pressure side of the rinse aid pump to the rinse aid nozzles.

[0063] Before rinse aid liquid is sprayed during the final rinse phase, an amount of wash liquid corresponding to the rinse aid liquid is pumped out of the wash tank by means of a drain pump, the suction side of which is connected to a sump of the wash tank via a drain line.

[0064] If the wash tank is empty before the hood type dishwasher is started for the first time, it must first be filled with fresh water via a fresh water pipe or using the rinse aid system and its rinse aid pump with fresh water or another rinse aid or wash liquid.

[0065] The rinse aid liquid can be fresh water or fresh water mixed with rinse aid.

[0066] The washing liquid contains detergent, which is preferably added automatically to the liquid in the washing tank by a detergent dosing device.

[0067] As can be seen from the drawings, the hood 2 of the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher 1 according to the invention is movable vertically between an open position and a closed position. The hood 2 has two opposing side walls 3 and a front wall 4 connecting the side walls 3. In the closed position of the hood 2, the side walls 3 and the front wall 4 of the hood 2 delimit the treatment chamber 5 of the dishwasher 1 at least partially or in certain areas.

[0068] In the open position of the hood 2, however, the side walls 3 and the front wall 4 of the hood 2 define a free space at least partially or in some areas. In the open position of the hood 2, the side walls 3 and the front wall 4 of the hood 2 are located at least partially or in some areas above an upper wall and / or ceiling area 6 that defines the treatment chamber 5 at the top and is firmly connected to a rear wall 7 of the treatment chamber 5.

[0069] A drying module 8 is accommodated in the free space, which is at least partially or partially bounded laterally by the side walls 3 and the front wall 4 of the hood 2 when the hood 2 is in its open position. The drying module 8 is designed such that it is completely accommodated in the free space laterally bounded by the side walls 3 and the front wall 4 of the hood 2 when the hood 2 is in its open position.

[0070] As is the case, for example, in FIG. 4A bis FIG. 4C can be removed, the drying module 8 is designed in particular such that an upper wall and / or ceiling area of ​​the drying module 8 lies in a horizontal plane which is at a maximum vertical distance of 30 cm from the horizontal plane in which an upper edge area of ​​the side walls 3 or the front wall 4 of the hood 2 lies in the open position of the hood 2.

[0071] According to the views FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 It can be seen in particular that the upper wall and / or ceiling area 6 which delimits the treatment chamber 5 of the dishwasher 1 at the top and the rear wall 7 of the treatment chamber 5 are fixedly connected to a machine frame or a base frame of the dishwasher 1.

[0072] The following is particularly based on the illustrations in FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 the structure of the drying module 8 of the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher 1 according to the invention is described in more detail.

[0073] In detail, the drying module 8 comprises a housing 9 and a suction fan 10 accommodated in the housing 9. The suction fan 10 is, in particular, a radial or axial fan.

[0074] In the housing 9 and preferably in the upper wall and / or ceiling area of ​​the housing 9 of the drying module 8, a fresh air inlet 11 is provided, via which fresh air from the installation room of the dishwasher 1 can be sucked into the housing 9 of the drying module 8.

[0075] In the housing 9 of the drying module 8, a drying air outlet 12 is also provided, which is in fluid connection with a drying air inlet 13 of the treatment chamber 5 of the dishwasher 1, via which the fresh air sucked into the housing 9 of the drying module 8 by means of the suction fan 10 can be supplied to the treatment chamber 5.

[0076] In the embodiment of the dishwasher 1 according to the invention shown in the drawings, the drying air inlet 13 of the treatment chamber 5 corresponds to the drying air outlet 12 of the drying module 8.

[0077] An effective flow cross-section of the fresh air inlet 11 provided in the housing 9 of the drying module 8 is preferably variably adjustable, namely by means of a ventilation slider assigned to the fresh air inlet 11.

[0078] An air nozzle system 14 with several adjustable air nozzles is assigned to the drying air outlet 12 of the drying module 8 or to the drying air inlet 13 of the treatment chamber 5, which is in fluid connection with the drying air outlet 12 of the drying module 8, via which the drying air to be introduced or introduced into the treatment chamber 5 can be directed accordingly.

[0079] The dishwasher 1 has a first air outlet 15 for discharging at least a first part of the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber 5 into the installation space of the dishwasher 1.

[0080] The dishwasher 1 further comprises a second air outlet 16 for discharging at least a second portion of the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber 5, wherein the second air outlet 16 is in fluid communication with an air inlet 17 formed in the housing 9 of the drying module 8.

[0081] In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the second air outlet 16 of the treatment chamber 5 of the dishwasher 1 coincides with the air inlet 17 formed in the housing 9 of the drying module 8.

[0082] Although not shown in the drawings, it is fundamentally conceivable that the dishwasher 1 is assigned a heat exchanger system to which at least a portion of the drying air discharged via the first air outlet 15 of the dishwasher 1 can be supplied, preferably before the drying air is discharged into the installation space of the dishwasher 1.

[0083] In the exemplary embodiment of the dishwasher 1 according to the invention, an effective flow cross-section of the first air outlet 15 is preferably variably adjustable, in particular with the aid of a ventilation slider assigned to the first air outlet 15.

[0084] In the same way, an effective flow cross-section of the second air outlet 16 is preferably variably adjustable, also with the aid of a corresponding ventilation slide.

[0085] The sectional views according to FIG. 2 , FIG. 3 , FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 It can be seen in particular that the housing 9 of the drying module 8 is divided into a first region 19, into which the fresh air inlet 11 of the drying module 8 and the air inlet 17, which is in fluid connection with the second air outlet 16 of the treatment chamber 5, open, and into a second region 20, in which the drying air inlet 13 of the treatment chamber 5 opens, wherein the suction side of the suction fan 10 is in fluid connection with the first region 19 and the pressure side of the suction fan 10 is in fluid connection with the second region 20.

[0086] In the second region 20 of the housing 9 of the drying module 8, a heating device 21, which can be controlled or optionally switched on, is arranged for heating, in particular as needed, the air supplied to the second region 20 of the housing 9 of the drying module 8 via the suction fan 10.

[0087] The invention further relates to the drying module 8 per se, ie without a corresponding dishwasher 1, wherein the drying module 8 can also preferably be subsequently connected to a dishwasher 1 in order to optimize the drying function of the dishwasher 1.

[0088] The air inlets and outlets 11, 12, 17 of the drying module 8 or the dishwasher 1 can be adjusted as required via corresponding adjustable sliders in order to adjust the fresh air rate that is newly sucked in from the ambient air in the installation room during the drying process, a circulation rate that is circulated within the machine 1 during the drying process, and / or an exhaust air rate that is released to the environment during the drying process.

[0089] This is necessary to ensure a kind of pressure equalization within the treatment chamber 5, since otherwise not enough fresh air can be sucked in from the environment.

[0090] This is also necessary in order to keep the relative humidity of the drying air constant, i.e. the moisture absorbed by the air during the drying process is partially discharged as exhaust air from the treatment chamber 5 in order to replace it with fresh air with a lower relative humidity and thereby accelerate the drying process.

[0091] Aspects of the invention are briefly summarized below.

[0092] The dishwasher 1 according to the invention is a single-tank (dish)washer 1 or a program machine in the form of a hood-type or universal dishwasher for washing different items.

[0093] In particular, it is intended that: a) that the dishwasher 1 is equipped with an integrated drying system in the form of a drying module 8; and / or b) that the drying system / drying module 8 is integrated into the installation space of the dishwasher 1 in such a way that the base area / installation area of ​​the dishwasher 1 is not changed; and / or c) that the drying system / drying module 8 is fixedly mounted on the stationary hood cover (i.e. the upper wall and / or ceiling area 6) and thus there are no negative effects on the opening and closing of the hood 2 due to the weight of the drying system; and / or d) that the hood cover (i.e. the upper wall and / or ceiling area 6) is fixedly connected to the rear wall of the machine or to the base frame of the dishwasher 1, so that when the hood 2 is opened and closed, only the two side walls 3 and the front wall 4 of the hood 2 move up and down;and / or e) that the overall structure of the drying system / drying module 8 is only large enough in the vertical direction to ensure that the machine height does not increase when the hood 2 is open, i.e. there is no restriction on the room height of the installation room compared to a commercially available hood-type dishwasher; and / or f) that the drying system / drying module 8 is equipped with a fan, e.g. in the form of a radial or axial fan, to generate a very high air volume flow in order to keep the required drying time as short as possible; and / or g) that the drying system / drying module 8 is equipped with heating elements, e.g. in the form of electrically, steam- or hot water-heated heating coils to heat the drying air;and / or h) that the drying system / drying module 8 is equipped with several adjustable air nozzles, with which the heated drying air can be applied in a targeted manner to the items to be washed in the treatment chamber 5; and / or i) that the drying system / drying module 8 is equipped with several air openings including adjustable ventilation sliders, with which the fresh air, recirculation, and exhaust air rates can be adjusted;and / or j) that the positioning and orientation of the air nozzles of the air nozzle system for the inflow of drying air into the treatment chamber 5 is aligned in relation to the recirculation and exhaust air opening in such a way that a targeted recirculation movement of the drying air is established within the treatment chamber 5, which makes it possible to direct the warm, dry drying air in a targeted manner over the items to be dried in a continuous cycle and then to discharge part of the liquid-saturated exhaust air to the environment via the exhaust air opening in order to thereby keep the relative humidity of the drying air constant during the drying process; and / or k) that the exhaust air is optionally additionally directed through a heat exchanger in order to recover the energy contained in the exhaust air;and / or l) that the dishwasher 1 is equipped with a device for detecting different types of wash ware, such as plates, glasses, plastic trays, cutlery, pots and utensils, reusable plastic ware, etc., and the drying parameters, such as volume flow, temperature, drying time, can be automatically adjusted to suit the wash ware to be dried; and / or m) that with electrical drying heating, the heating elements of the heating device of the drying module 8 of the dryer can be locked with the heating elements of the wash tank and / or boiler in order not to increase the total connected load of the machine compared to a commercially available hood-type dishwasher;and / or n) that the drying system / drying module 8 can optionally be extended by means of additional air ducts so that additional air nozzles can be attached to the side or underneath the wash ware in order to ensure direct air flow from all sides to wash ware that is difficult to dry; and / or o) that the drying system / drying module 8 can optionally also be used as a blow-out device (e.g. by increasing the speed of the suction fan 10 as needed) in order to blow out larger water residues / accumulations, e.g. in the case of scooping ware, such as plastic cups with a bulge in the cup base, in a very short time, since drying only by means of convection drying would be very time-consuming in this case;and / or p) that the suction fan 10 can optionally also be controlled for a few seconds during the drip-off phase between washing and rinsing in order to blow off any wash liquor residues remaining on the items to be washed and thus reduce the fresh water requirement during the subsequent fresh water rinsing, since less wash liquor remains on the items to be washed, which must be rinsed off by the fresh water rinsing; and / or q) that the drying system / drying module 8 is operated in combination with an additional commercially available exhaust air heat recovery system in order to extract the vapors within the treatment chamber 5 at the beginning of the drying cycle (e.g. within the first 20 seconds of the drying cycle) and thereby reduce the relative humidity at the beginning of the drying cycle in order to reduce the drying time;and / or r) that the drying system / drying module 8 can also be integrated into commercially available universal dishwashers that are not equipped with a hood 2, but alternatively only with a front door. In this case, the drying module 8 is also fixed to the machine ceiling, but in this case, only a front door is opened and closed for loading and unloading the dishwasher 1;

[0094] The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawings, but results from a combination of all features disclosed herein. Bezugszeichenliste

[0095] 1 Dishwasher 2 Hood 3 Side wall of the hood 4 Front wall of the hood 5 Treatment chamber 6 Upper wall and / or ceiling area of ​​the dishwasher 7 Rear wall of the treatment chamber 8 Drying module 9 Drying module housing 10 Extractor fan 11 Fresh air inlet 12 Drying air outlet 13 Drying air inlet 14 Air nozzle system 15 First air outlet 16 Second air outlet 17 Drying module air inlet 19 First area of ​​the drying module housing 20 Second area of ​​the drying module housing 21 Heating device

Claims

1. A commercial dishwasher (1) in the form of a hood-type dishwasher, in particular a hood-type pass-through dishwasher, or in the form of a universal dishwasher, wherein the dishwasher (1) has a hood (2) which is movable, in particular linearly displaceable, in the vertical direction between an open position and a closed position, wherein the hood (2) has two opposite side walls (3) and a front wall (4) connecting the side walls (3), wherein in the closed position of the hood (2) the side walls (3) and the front wall (4) of the hood (2) at least partially or regionally delimit a treatment chamber (5) of the dishwasher (1),and wherein in the open position of the hood (2), the side walls (3) and the front wall (4) of the hood (2) are at least partially or partially above an upper wall and / or ceiling area (6) which delimits the treatment chamber (5) at the top and is firmly connected to a rear wall (7) of the treatment chamber (5) and there at least partially or partially delimit a free space laterally, , characterized in that the dishwasher (1) has a drying module (8) which is arranged on the upper wall and / or ceiling area (6) of the dishwasher (1) and is designed in such a way that it is completely accommodated in the free space which is laterally delimited by the side walls (3) and the front wall (4) of the hood (2) when the hood (2) is in the open position.

2. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 1, wherein the drying module (8) is designed such that an upper wall region of the drying module (8) lies in a horizontal plane which is vertically spaced by a maximum of 30 cm, preferably by a maximum of 25 cm, and more preferably by a maximum of 20 cm from the horizontal plane in which an upper edge region of the side walls (3) and / or the front wall (4) of the hood (2) lies in the open position of the hood (2); and / or wherein the upper wall and / or ceiling region (6) delimiting the treatment chamber (5) at the top and the rear wall (7) of the treatment chamber (5) are fixedly connected to a machine frame or a base frame of the dishwasher (1).

3. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drying module (8) comprises a housing (9) and a suction fan (10) accommodated in the housing (9), in particular in the form of a radial or axial fan, wherein a fresh air inlet (11) is provided in the housing (9) and preferably in an upper wall region of the housing (9), through which fresh air can be sucked into the housing (9) from the installation space of the dishwasher (1), wherein a drying air outlet (12) is further provided in the housing (9) and is in fluid communication with a drying air inlet (13) of the treatment chamber (5), via which the fresh air sucked into the housing (9) of the drying module (8) by means of the suction fan (10) can be fed to the treatment chamber (5), wherein the drying air inlet (13) of the treatment chamber (5) is preferably connected to the drying air outlet (12). of the drying module (8), wherein the dishwasher (1) preferably has an air duct system,via which at least part of the fresh air sucked into the housing (9) of the drying module (8) by means of the suction fan (10) can be fed to the treatment chamber (5), in particular from the side and / or from below.

4. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 3, wherein an effective flow cross-section of the fresh air inlet (11) provided in the housing (9) is preferably variably adjustable, in particular with the aid of a ventilation slide associated with the fresh air inlet (11); and / or wherein the drying air inlet (13) of the treatment chamber (5), which is in fluid communication with the drying air outlet (12) of the drying module (8), is formed in the upper wall and / or ceiling region (6) of the treatment chamber (5) that delimits the treatment chamber (5) at the top; and / or wherein the drying air outlet (12) of the drying module (8) or the drying air inlet (13) of the treatment chamber (5) which is in fluid communication with the drying air outlet (12) of the drying module (8) is assigned an air nozzle system (14) with a plurality of adjustable air nozzles for directing the drying air to be introduced or introduced into the treatment chamber (5).

5. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the dishwasher (1) has at least one air outlet (15, 16) for discharging the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber (5), wherein the at least one air outlet (15, 16) is formed at least partially or regionally, preferably in the upper wall and / or ceiling region (6) of the treatment chamber (5) delimiting the treatment chamber (5) at the top.

6. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 5, wherein the dishwasher (1) has a first air outlet (15) for discharging at least a first portion of the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber (5) into the installation space of the dishwasher (1), and wherein the dishwasher (1) has a second air outlet (16) for discharging at least a second portion of the drying air introduced into the treatment chamber (5), wherein the second air outlet (16) is in fluid communication with an air inlet (17) formed in the housing (9) of the drying module (8),wherein the suction fan (10) of the drying module (8) is preferably assigned a drying device for drying at least the air supplied to the housing (9) of the drying module (8) via the air inlet (17) in fluid communication with the second air outlet (16) of the treatment chamber (5) and / or the fresh air sucked into the housing (9) from the installation space of the dishwasher (1) via the fresh air inlet (11).

7. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 6, wherein the dishwasher (1) is assigned a heat exchanger system to which at least a portion of the drying air discharged via the first air outlet (15) of the dishwasher (1) can be supplied, preferably before the drying air is discharged into the installation space of the dishwasher (1); and / or wherein an effective flow cross-section of the first air outlet (15) is preferably variably adjustable, in particular with the aid of a ventilation slider assigned to the first air outlet (15); and / or wherein an effective flow cross-section of the second air outlet (16) and / or an effective flow cross-section of the air inlet (17) of the drying module (8), which is in fluid communication with the second air outlet (16), is / are preferably variably adjustable, in particular with the aid of at least one ventilation slider.

8. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the housing (9) of the drying module (8) is divided into a first region (19), into which the fresh air inlet (11) of the drying module (8) and the air inlet (17) in fluid communication with the second air outlet (16) of the treatment chamber (5) open, and into a second region (20), in which the drying air inlet (13) of the treatment chamber (5) opens, wherein the suction side of the suction fan (10) is in fluid communication with the first region (19) and the pressure side of the suction fan (10) is in fluid communication with the second region (20).

9. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 8, wherein a heating device (21), which can be regulated or optionally switched on, is arranged in the second region (20) of the housing (9) of the drying module (8), in particular for heating, as required, the air supplied via the suction fan (10) to the second region (20) of the housing (9) of the drying module (8).

10. Dishwasher (1) according to claim 9, wherein the heating device (21) of the drying module (8) has at least one electrically operated heating element, wherein the dishwasher (1) further has at least one further electrically operated heating device for heating, as required, the treatment liquid to be sprayed during operation of the dishwasher (1), and wherein a control device is provided which is designed to control the electrical power consumption of the heating device (21) of the drying module (8) as a function of an electrical power consumption of the further electrically operated heating device.

11. Dishwasher (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the dishwasher (1) has a dishware detection device which is designed to detect the type of dishware and in particular the material of the dishware accommodated in the treatment chamber (5) of the dishwasher (1), wherein the dishwasher (1) further has a control device which is designed to control the drying module (8) depending on the detected type of dishware and in particular to set a temperature of the drying air supplied from the drying module (8) to the treatment chamber (5), a quantity of drying air supplied to the treatment chamber (5) per unit of time, a time for the activation of the drying module (8) and / or a duration of the activation of the drying module (8) depending on the detected type of dishware.

12. A method for operating a dishwasher (1), wherein the dishwasher (1) is a dishwasher (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11, and wherein the method comprises the following method steps: (i) loading the treatment chamber (5) of the dishwasher (1) with items to be cleaned, while the hood (2) is in its open position; (ii) transferring the hood (2) to its closed position; (iii) carrying out a washing process in which washing liquid is sprayed onto the items to be washed in a recirculated manner;and (iv) carrying out a final rinsing process in which final rinsing liquid is sprayed onto the items to be washed, wherein after completion of the final rinsing process the drying module (8) is activated in order to expose the cleaned items to air and in particular to heated drying air within the closed treatment chamber (5), wherein between process step (iii) and process step (iv) the drying module (8) is preferably activated for up to 15 seconds in order to expose the washed items to air.

13. Drying module (8) which is designed, in particular, to be mounted on an upper wall and / or ceiling area (6) of a commercial dishwasher (1) designed as a programmable automatic machine, wherein the drying module (8) has a housing (9) and a suction fan (10) accommodated in the housing (9), in particular in the form of a radial or axial fan, wherein a fresh air inlet (11) is provided in the housing (9) and preferably in the upper wall and / or ceiling area (6) of the housing (9), through which fresh air can be sucked into the housing (9), wherein a drying air outlet (12) is further provided in the housing (9), through which the fresh air sucked into the housing (9) of the drying module (8) with the aid of the suction fan (10) can be fed to the treatment chamber (5) of a dishwasher (1), wherein an effective flow cross-section of the suction fan provided in the housing (9) Fresh air inlet (11) is preferably variably adjustable,in particular by means of a ventilation slide associated with the fresh air inlet (11).

14. Drying module (8) according to claim 13, wherein an air outlet (15, 16) is formed in the housing (9) of the drying module (8), via which air can be supplied from the housing (9) to the treatment chamber (5) of the dishwasher (1), wherein an effective flow cross-section of the air outlet of the drying module (8) is preferably variably adjustable, in particular by means of a ventilation slide.

15. Drying module (8) according to claim 14, wherein the housing (9) of the drying module (8) is divided into a first region (19), into which the fresh air inlet (11) of the drying module (8) and an air inlet (17) that can be brought into fluid communication with the treatment chamber (5) of the dishwasher (1) open, and into a second region (20), in which the drying air outlet (12) is provided, wherein the suction side of the suction fan (10) is in fluid communication with the first region (19) of the housing (9) of the drying module (8) and the pressure side of the suction fan (10) is in fluid communication with the second region (20) of the housing (9) of the drying module (8), wherein in the second region (20) of the housing (9) of the drying module (8) a heating device (21), which can be controlled in particular or can be optionally switched on, is preferably arranged for heating in particular as required the air supplied via the suction fan (10) to the second region (20) of the housing (9) of the drying module (8);and / or wherein the suction fan (10) of the drying module (8) is assigned a drying device for drying at least the air supplied to the housing (9) of the drying module (8) via the air inlet (17) which can be brought into fluid communication with the treatment chamber (5) of the dishwasher (1);

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