dishwasher

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dishwasher in which both an exhaust hole through which air is discharged from a tub and a supply hole through which air is resupplied to the tub are formed on a lower surface of the tub such that a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of a duct connecting the exhaust hole and the supply hole can be ensured, and thus a sufficient air flow rate can be provided.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, to a dishwasher in which both an exhaust hole through which air is discharged from a tub and a supply hole through which air is resupplied to the tub are formed in the lower surface of the tub such that a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be ensured so as to provide a sufficient air flow rate.Background Art

[0002] A dishwasher is a device which sprays washing water such as water to a wash target such as tableware, cooking utensils and the like accommodated therein to wash the wash target. At this time, the washing water used for washing the wash target may contain a detergent.

[0003] Ordinarily, the dishwasher is constructed by including a washing bath forming a washing space therein, a storage part accommodating the wash target in the washing bath, a spray arm spraying the washing water to the storage part, and a sump storing an amount of water therein and supplying the washing water to the spray arm.

[0004] By using this dishwasher, the time and effort required to wash tableware and other wash target after a meal can be reduced, contributing to user convenience.

[0005] Typically, the dishwasher is configured to perform a washing process of washing the wash target, a rinsing process of proceeding with the rinsing for the wash target, and a drying process of drying the wash target that has been washed and rinsed.

[0006] Recently, dishwashers have been released which can reduce drying time and improve sterilization effects on the wash targets by supplying high-temperature drying airflow into the inside of the tub during the drying process.

[0007] In this regard, Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-1994-0007098 (Related Document 001) discloses a dishwasher including a hot air supply device, in which a suction hole is formed to penetrates through one side surface or upper surface of the tub to supply high-temperature drying airflow into the tub, and which heats the suctioned air and resupplies it into the tub through a discharge port formed on a bottom surface of the tub.

[0008] The hot air supply device of the dishwasher disclosed in Related Document 001 is configured such that a duct connecting the suction hole with the discharge port is provided in a narrow space between one side surface of the tub and the case or between the upper surface of the tub and the case.DISCLOSURETechnical Problem

[0009] As described above, the hot air supply device of the dishwasher disclosed in Related Document 001 has a structure in which the suction hole through which air is suctioned is formed to penetrate through the side surface or the upper surface of the tub, and the duct connecting the suction hole with the discharge port is inevitably extended through a narrow space between the side surface of the tub and the case, or between the upper surface of the tub and the case.

[0010] As a result, the hot air supply device of Related Document 001 has a problem that since air flows through the duct having a considerably small cross-sectional area, the flow rate of air sucked from the tub and the flow rate of air resupplied to the tub are inevitably reduced, resulting in a substantially low drying efficiency.

[0011] Further, the hot air supply device of Related Document 001 has a problem that since the duct having a considerably long extension length is added to connect the suction hole with the discharge port, the overall manufacturing cost may increase and the manufacturing process may also become considerably complex.

[0012] The present invention has been conceived to solve these problems of the related art, and the first object thereof is to provide a dishwasher in which both an exhaust hole through which air is discharged from a tub and a supply hole through which air is resupplied to the tub are formed in the lower surface of the tub such that a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be ensured so as to provide a sufficient air flow rate.

[0013] Additionally, the second object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher in which a total extension length of a drying air supply part including a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be minimized, thereby significantly reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying the manufacturing process.

[0014] The purposes of the present invention are not limited to the purposes mentioned above, and other unmentioned purposes and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood through the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be readily understood that the purposes and advantages of the present invention can be achieved by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims.Technical Solution

[0015] A dishwasher according to the present invention includes a tub inside which a washing space is formed to have an open front surface; a base disposed below the tub and supporting the tub; and a drying air supply part disposed between the tub and the base, sucking air from the tub, heating and supplying the air to the tub, and is characterized in that an exhaust hole through which the air is discharged from the washing space toward the drying air supply part, and a supply hole through which the air is supplied from the drying air supply part toward the washing space are formed in a lower surface of the tub.

[0016] Also, the exhaust hole may be disposed closer to a right side surface of the tub than to a left side surface of the tub, based on a left and right direction, and the supply hole may be disposed closer to the left side surface of the tub than to the right side surface of the tub, based on a left and right direction.

[0017] Also, the exhaust hole and the supply hole may be disposed closer to a rear surface of the tub than to a front surface of the tub, based on a front and rear direction.

[0018] Also, the dishwasher may further include a sump disposed between the tub and the base, and storing washing water to be supplied to the washing space, wherein a sump hole to which the sump is coupled may be formed in the lower surface of the tub, and the exhaust hole and the supply hole may be formed in a further rear side than the sump hole.

[0019] Also, the exhaust hole and the supply hole may be disposed closer to a rear surface of the tub than the sump hole.

[0020] Also, a front and rear direction distance from the exhaust hole to the sump hole and a front and rear direction distance from the supply hole to the sump hole may be equal to each other.

[0021] Also, the drying air supply part may include a suction guide disposed above the exhaust hole and having a suction port through which the air is introduced from the washing space; a blowing part accelerating the air having passed through the suction port to generate an airflow; a heater part heating the air having passed through the blowing part; and a discharge guide disposed above the supply hole and having a discharge port through which the air having passed through the heater part is discharged into the washing space.

[0022] Also, the suction port and the discharge port may be respectively opened toward the right side surface of the tub.

[0023] Also, the suction port and the discharge port may be respectively opened toward a rear surface of the tub.

[0024] Also, a cross-sectional area of the suction port and a cross-sectional area of the discharge port may be equal to each other.

[0025] Also, an up and down direction distance between the lower surface of the tub and the suction port, and an up and down direction distance between the lower surface of the tub and the discharge port may be equal to each other.

[0026] Also, a front and rear direction distance between a front surface of the tub and the suction port, and a front and rear direction distance between the front surface of the tub and the discharge port may be equal to each other.

[0027] Also, the drying air supply part may further include a suction duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the exhaust hole and another end communicating with the blowing part; and a supply duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the supply hole and another end communicating with the heater part, wherein the suction guide and the discharge guide may be respectively coupled to the one end of the suction duct part and the one end of the supply duct part in an interchangeable manner.

[0028] Also, the suction guide and the discharge guide may have the same shape and the same size as each other.

[0029] Also, the drying air supply part may include a blowing part accelerating the air having passed through the suction port to generate an airflow; a heater part heating the air having passed through the blowing part; a suction duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the exhaust hole and another end communicating with the blowing part; and a supply duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the supply hole and another end communicating with the heater part, wherein washing water introduced into the suction duct from the washing space and condensate generated inside the suction duct may be moved by gravity toward the heater part through the suction duct and the blowing part.

[0030] Also, an internal bottom surface of the suction duct part may include a first inclined surface whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as the first inclined surface of the suction duct part progresses toward the blowing part.

[0031] Also, the blowing part may include a blowing fan being rotated to accelerate the air; and a fan housing rotatably accommodating the blowing fan, wherein an internal bottom surface of the fan housing may include a second inclined surface whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as the internal bottom surface of the fan housing progresses toward the heater part, and wherein the second inclined surface may be formed at a position lower, based on an up and down direction, than the first inclined surface.Advantageous Effects

[0032] The dishwasher according to the present invention provides an effect of significantly improving the drying efficiency by having a structure in which both an exhaust hole through which air is discharged from a tub and a supply hole through which air is resupplied to the tub are formed on a lower surface of the tub such that a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of a duct connecting the exhaust hole and the supply hole can be ensured, thereby enabling a sufficient air flow rate to be provided.

[0033] Further, the dishwasher according to the present invention provides an effect of significantly reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying the manufacturing process by being configured such that the total extension length of the drying air supply part including a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be minimized.

[0034] Further, the dishwasher according to the present invention provides an effect of minimizing the flow resistance of the airflow and significantly reducing the power consumption by being configured such that the total extension length of the drying air supply part including a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be minimized.

[0035] Specific effects of the present invention, including the effects described above, will be described below together with specific matters for practicing the invention.DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a dishwasher according to the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dishwasher illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0038] FIG. 3A is a front perspective view showing a state in which the door of the dishwasher shown in FIG. 1 is disclosed, and FIG. 3B is a front perspective view showing a state in which the drying air supply part according to the present invention is installed between the base and the tub.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 and shows a state in which the discharge guide and the suction guide are disposed according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the drying air supply part of FIG. 3 is connected to the tub.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 5, illustrating a side enlarged view of the discharge guide when viewed from the right side.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the drying air supply part according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 7.

[0044] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the discharge guide and the supply duct part.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7, illustrating a state in which movement of condensate droplets is guided inside the suction duct part.

[0046] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the blowing part shown in FIG. 8, illustrating a state in which the movement of condensate droplets is guided inside the fan housing.

[0047] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which the discharge guide and the suction guide are disposed according to the second and third embodiments of the present invention.BEST MODEL

[0048] The above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages will now be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can easily practice the technical idea of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used to denote like or similar components.

[0049] Although the terms “first”, “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component, and unless otherwise specifically stated, it is to be understood that a first component may of course be a second component.

[0050] Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specifically stated, each element may be singular or plural.

[0051] Hereinafter, the phrase “any element is disposed on (or below) a component” or “above (or under) a component” may mean not only that the element is disposed in contact with the top surface (or lower surface) of the component, but also that another element may be interposed between the component and the element disposed on (or below) the component.

[0052] Additionally, if a component is described as being “connected,”“coupled,” or “contacted” to another component, the components may be directly connected or contacted to one another, but it is to be understood that another element may be “interposed” between the components, or that the components may be “connected,”“coupled,” or “contacted” to each other through another element.

[0053] As used herein, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms “comprise” or “include” should not be construed to necessarily include all the various components or various steps described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or some of the steps may not be included, or that an additional component or step may be further included.

[0054] Additionally, singular expressions used herein include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms “comprise” or “include” should not be construed to necessarily include all the various components or various steps described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or some of the steps may not be included, or that an additional component or step may be further included.

[0055] Throughout the specification, in the case of using the phrase “A and / or B”, this means A, B, or A and B, unless otherwise specifically stated, and in the case of using the phrase “between C and D”, this means C or more and D or less, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0056] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to drawings showing a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.Overall Structure of Dishwasher

[0057] Hereinafter, the overall structure of a dishwasher 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a dishwasher 1 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view briefly showing the internal structure of the dishwasher 1 according to the present invention.

[0059] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dishwasher 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case 10 forming an outer shape, a tub 20 installed inside the case 10, forming a washing space 21 in which wash targets are washed, and having an open front side, a door 30 for opening or closing the open front side of the tub 20, a driving part 40 located in the lower side of the tub 20 to supply, collect, circulate, and discharge washing water for washing the wash targets, a storage part 50 detachably provided in the washing space 21 inside the tub 20, and on which the wash targets are placed, and a spray part 60 installed adjacent to the storage part 50 to spray washing water for washing the wash targets.

[0060] In this regard, examples of the wash targets placed in the storage part 50 may include tableware such as bowls, dishes, spoons, chopsticks and the like, and other cooking utensils. Unless otherwise stated below, the wash targets will be referred to as tableware.

[0061] The tub 20 may be formed in a box shape with the front surface entirely open, and corresponds to a configuration known as a so-called washing bath.

[0062] The washing space 21 is formed inside the tub 20, and the open front surface can be opened and closed by the door 30.

[0063] The tub 20 may be formed by pressing a metal plate that is resistant to high temperature and moisture, for example, a plate made of stainless steel series.

[0064] In addition, on the inner surface of the tub 20, there may be disposed a number of brackets for helping functional components such as the storage part 50, the spray part 60 and the like to be described later to be supported and installed within the tub 20.

[0065] Meanwhile, the driving part 40 may be constructed by including a sump 41 storing the washing water, a sump cover 42 separating the sump 41 from the tub 20, a water supply part 43 supplying the washing water to the sump 41 from the outside, a drain part 44 discharging the washing water from the sump 41 to the outside, and a washing pump 45 and a supply flow path 46 which supply the washing water from the sump 41 to the spray part 60.

[0066] The water supply part 43 serves to supply to the sump 41 the washing water supplied from an external water supply source.

[0067] Although not illustrated, the water supply part 43 may be constructed by including a water jacket storing the washing water supplied from an external water supply source, and a water softening device softening the washing water stored in the water jacket.

[0068] The sump cover 42 is disposed on the upper side of the sump 41, and can serve to separate the tub 20 from the sump 41. Additionally, the sump cover 42 may be provided with a plurality of recovery holes for recovering the washing water sprayed into the washing space 21 through the spray part 60 into the sump 41.

[0069] That is, the washing water sprayed from the spray part 60 toward the tableware may fall to the bottom of the washing space 21, and may be returned to the sump 41 through the sump cover 42.

[0070] The washing pump 45 is provided at one side or the bottom of the sump 41, and serves to pressurize the washing water to supply it to the spray part 60.

[0071] The washing pump 45 may be connected at one end to the sump 41, and at the other end to the supply flow path 46. The washing pump 45 may include an impeller 451 and a motor 453. When power is supplied to the motor 453, the impeller 451 rotates, and the washing water in the sump 41 can be pressurized and then supplied to the spray part 60 through the supply flow path 46.

[0072] Although not shown, at one end of the washing pump 45, there may be provided a washing water heater for heating the washing water supplied in progress of a washing process or a heating and rinsing process.

[0073] Meanwhile, the supply flow path 46 may serve to selectively supply the washing water supplied from the washing pump 45 to the spray part 60.

[0074] For example, the supply flow path 46 may include a first supply flow path 461 connected to a lower spray arm 61, and a second supply flow path 463 connected to an upper spray arm 62 and a top nozzle 63, and the supply flow path 46 may be provided with a supply flow path switching valve 465 that selectively opens or closes the supply flow paths 461, 463.

[0075] In this regard, the supply flow path switching valve 465 may be controlled so that each of the supply flow paths 461, 463 is opened sequentially or simultaneously.

[0076] Meanwhile, the spray part 60 is provided to spray the washing water on tableware and the like stored in the storage part 50.

[0077] More specifically, the spray part 60 may include the lower spray arm 61 positioned in the lower side of the tub 20 to spray the washing water to a lower rack 51, the upper spray arm 62 positioned between the lower rack51 and an upper rack 52 to spray the washing water to the lower rack 51 and the upper rack 52, and the top nozzle 63 positioned in the upper side of the tub 20 to spray the washing water to a top rack 53 or the upper rack 52.

[0078] Particularly, the lower spray arm 61 and the upper spray arm 62 may be rotatably provided in the washing space 21 of the tub 20 so that they can spray the washing water toward the tableware in the storage part 50 while rotating.

[0079] The lower spray arm 61 may be rotatably supported at the upper side of the sump cover 42 so that it can spray the washing water toward the lower rack 51 from the lower side of the lower rack 51 while rotating.

[0080] Additionally, the upper spray arm 62 may be rotatably supported by a spray arm holder 467 so that it can spray the washing water between the lower rack 51 and the upper rack 52 while rotating.

[0081] Meanwhile, although not shown, a means for diverting the washing water sprayed from the lower spray arm 61 in an up direction U-direction may be further provided at the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 to increase the washing efficiency.

[0082] Since the detailed configuration of the spray part 60 can be embodied by applying a configuration already known in the art, a description of the specific configuration of the spray part 60 will be omitted below.

[0083] Meanwhile, the storage part 50 for storing the tableware may be provided in the washing space 21.

[0084] The storage part 50 is provided so as to be withdrawable from the inside of the tub 20 through the open front side of the tub 20.

[0085] For example, FIG. 2 shows an embodiment which provides the storage part including the lower rack 51 located in the lower side of the tub 20 and capable of storing relatively large tableware, the upper rack 52 located in the upper side of the lower rack 51 and capable of storing medium-sized tableware, and the top rack 53 located in the upper side of the tub 20 and capable of storing small tableware and the like. The present invention will be described based on an embodiment of the dishwasher provided with three storage parts 50 as illustrated, but not limited thereto.

[0086] These lower rack 51, upper rack 52 and top rack 53 can each be configured to be pulled to the outside through the open front side of the tub 20.

[0087] To this end, on opposite side walls forming the inner surface of the tub 20, there may be provided guide rails 54, and for example, the guide rails 54 may include upper rails 542, lower rails 541, and top rails 543.

[0088] On the bottom of each of these lower rack 51, upper rack 52, and top rack 53 wheels may be provided. By pulling these lower rack 51, upper rack 52 and top rack 53 to the outside through the front side of the tub 20, the user can easily store tableware in them, or take out washed tableware from them.

[0089] The guide rails 54 may be provided with fixed guide rails in the form of simple rails for guiding the withdrawal and insertion of the storage part 50 or with telescopic guide rails guiding the withdrawal and insertion of the storage part 50 and being extensible to increase the withdrawal distance according to withdrawal of the storage part 50.

[0090] Meanwhile, the door 30 has the purpose of opening and closing the open front surface of the above-described tub 20.

[0091] In the lower side of the front side that is generally open, there is provided a hinge part (not shown) for opening and closing the door 30, and the door 30 is opened by rotating around the hinge part as a rotation shaft.

[0092] Here, on the front surface as the outer surface of the door 30, there may be provided a handle 31 for opening the door 30 and a control panel 32 for controlling the dishwasher 1.

[0093] As illustrated, the control panel 32 provided on the front surface of the door 30 may be provided with a display 33 visually displaying information about the current operating status of the dishwasher and the like, and a button part 34 including a selection button by which a user's selection operation is input, and a power button by which a user's operation for turning the dishwasher on and off is input.

[0094] Meanwhile, when the door 30 is closed, the inner surface of the door 30 may form the front surface corresponding to one surface of the tub 20, while, when the door 30 is fully opened, it may, as well, form a seating surface on which the lower rack 51 of the storage part 50 can be supported.

[0095] To this end, it is preferable that when the door 30 is fully opened, the inner surface of the door 30 forms a horizontal plane in the same direction as the extension of the guide rails 54 by which the lower rack 51 is guided.

[0096] Although not shown, on the inner surface of the door 30, there may be further provided a detergent supply device for automatically supplying detergent into the inside of the tub 20.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 2, on the outer side of the upper surface of the tub 20 an automatic door opening module 352 may be provided to automatically open the door.

[0098] When a drying air supply part 80 to be described later is operated and drying air is supplied to the inside of the tub 20, the automatic door opening module 352 serves to partially open the front surface of the tub 20 by moving the door 30 to a predetermined open position.

[0099] Thereby, the air which has been humidified while drying the tableware may be discharged through an upper portion of the open front side of the tub 20.

[0100] For example, the automatic door opening module 352 may be provided with a push rod 3524 rotating the upper end of the rear surface of the door 30 to the open position.

[0101] Meanwhile, at the bottom of the tub 20, there may be provided a drying air supply part 80 for generating and supplying high-temperature or low-temperature drying air to the washing space inside the tub 20.

[0102] As illustrated, the drying air supply part 80 may be constructed by including a suction guide 89 disposed inside the tub 20 and into which an airflow is introduced from the tub 20, a blowing fan 825 generating a drying air airflow, a heater part 84 heating the drying air airflow, and a discharge guide 83 disposed inside the tub 20 and discharging the drying air airflow toward the tub 20.

[0103] In a lower surface 25 of the tub 20, an exhaust hole 253 for allowing air inside the tub 20 to be discharged to the drying air supply part 80 and a supply hole 254 for allowing a drying air airflow generated from the drying air supply part 80 to be supplied to the inside of the tub 20 may be formed to penetrate therethrough.

[0104] The detailed configuration of the drying air supply part 80 will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3A and the following drawings.Detailed Configuration of Drying Air Supply Part

[0105] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3A to 9, the detailed configuration of the aforementioned drying air supply part 80 will be described.

[0106] First, as illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the drying air supply part 80 may be accommodated in a base 90 supporting the tub 20, and be disposed to be supported by the bottom 91 of the base 90.

[0107] Besides, correspondingly, both the supply hole 254 through which an airflow is supplied toward the washing space 21 of the tub 20 and the exhaust hole 253 through which an airflow is discharged from the washing space 21 toward the drying air supply part 80 may be formed in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20.

[0108] That is, unlike the related art, the dishwasher 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that the exhaust hole 253 through which air inside the tub 20 is discharged is formed to penetrate the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 together with the supply hole 254. Thus, by forming the exhaust hole 253 in the lower surface 25, rather than in the left side surface 26, the right side surface 27, or the rear surface 23 of the tub 20, a distance between the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254 can be minimized, and a flow distance and flow loss of airflow flowing between them can be minimized.

[0109] Meanwhile, as illustrated, the drying air supply part 80 may be disposed at a position adjacent to a rear surface 93 of the base 90, and may be arranged to be elongated generally in parallel with the rear surface 93 of the base 90 at a position between a water leakage sensing part and the rear surface 93 of the base 90.

[0110] This disposition position may be selected in consideration of characteristics of the drying air supply part 80 in which high heat of about 100° C. or higher is generated in a high-temperature airflow supply mode, and the position of the sump 41 accommodated together in the base 90 and having a relatively large occupied space.

[0111] That is, a position capable of avoiding electrical components that are relatively greatly affected by high heat and the sump 41 having a relatively large volume may be selected.

[0112] Accordingly, based on the front and rear direction, the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254 may be disposed much closer to the rear surface 23 of the tub 20 than to the front surface of the tub 20.

[0113] In addition, based on the left and right direction, the exhaust hole 253 may be disposed much closer to the right side surface 27 of the tub 20 than to the left side surface 26 of the tub 20, and the supply hole 254 may be disposed closer to the left side surface 26 of the tub 20 than to the right side surface 27 of the tub 20.

[0114] In this regard, so as to be disposed avoiding the sump 41, the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254 may be disposed further to the rear than the sump hole 252, and may be disposed closer to the rear surface 23 of the tub 20 than the sump hole 252.

[0115] That is, the exhaust hole 253, through which air is discharged from the washing space 21 toward the drying air supply part 80, may be disposed in a corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the right side surface 27, and the supply hole 254, through which air is supplied to the washing space 21, may be formed in a corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0116] In this regard, so as to minimize an occupied space by the drying air supply part 80, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a front and rear direction distance DI from the exhaust hole 253 to the sump hole 252 and a front and rear direction distance D2 from the supply hole 254 to the sump hole 252 may be set to be equal to each other.

[0117] Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, on an outer side of the right side surface 27 of the tub 20, a water jacket 110 in which washing water to be supplied to the sump 41 is stored is disposed, and the water jacket 110 may be provided with a tub hole 118 formed therein to communicate its internal space with the washing space 21 of the tub 20.

[0118] Corresponding to this tub 20, a water jacket communication hole 272 may be formed in the right side surface 27 of the tub 20.

[0119] Accordingly, because the supply hole 254 can be formed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26, which corresponds to a position spaced apart as far as possible from the right side surface 27 of the tub 20 where the water jacket communication hole 272 is formed, influence on the internal pressure of the washing space 21 of the tub 20 by the supply hole 254 can be minimized, and thus it can be advantageous for maintaining the internal pressure of the washing space 21.

[0120] Meanwhile, as will be described later, above the exhaust hole 253, there may be disposed the suction guide 89 having a suction port 893 into which an airflow of air is introduced from the washing space 21, and above the supply hole 254, there may be disposed the discharge guide 83 having a discharge port 833 through which an airflow of air is discharged into the washing space 21.

[0121] Meanwhile, in the bottom 91 of the base 90, there may be provided a support rib (not shown) for supporting the drying air supply part 80 and preventing its detachment, a plurality of guide ribs (not shown) for setting a position of the water leakage sensing part (not shown) that senses whether washing water leaks from the tub 20 and preventing its detachment, and a washing water rib (not shown) for guiding washing water discharged from the drying air supply part 80 to the water leakage sensing part.

[0122] Preferably, these support rib, guide ribs, and washing water rib may be integrally formed on the bottom surface 91 of the base 90.

[0123] The support rib may be coupled in a non-fastening manner with a first leg 873 and a second leg 892 of the drying air supply part 80, which will be described later.

[0124] In FIG. 4 and the following drawings, a detailed configuration of the drying air supply part 80 is illustrated.

[0125] As illustrated, the drying air supply part 80, which generates drying air and supplies it into the inside of the tub 20, may be constructed by including a blowing part 82 generating an airflow F of air supplied into the inside of the tub 20, a heater part 81 heating the airflow of air, a suction guide 89 sucking air from the washing space 21 of the tub 20, and a discharge guide 83 discharging air toward the washing space 21.

[0126] The blowing part 82 is disposed upstream of the heater part 81 based on a flow direction of the airflow F, and serves to accelerate air into an air passage formed inside a heater housing 812 so as to generate the airflow F of the air.

[0127] The blowing part 82 may include a blowing fan 821 and a blowing motor (not shown) generating a rotational driving force of the blowing fan 821, and the blowing fan 821 and the blowing motor may be modularized with each other to form an assembly in a manner of being accommodated in the inside of a fan housing 822.

[0128] The blowing fan 821 and the fan housing 822 may be fixed to a housing connector 87 to be described later.

[0129] More specifically, the blowing fan 821 and the fan housing 822 may be connected to the housing connector 87 with their one side surface fixed to a connection tab 872 of the housing connector 87.

[0130] There is no restriction on the type of blowing fan applied to the drying air supply part 80, but, as an example, in consideration of positional constraints and spatial constraints regarding where the blowing fan is installed, a sirocco fan is preferable.

[0131] As illustrated, in a case where a sirocco fan is applied, air may be sucked from a front surface of the fan housing 822 in which a suction port is formed in a direction parallel to a rotation shaft from the center of the sirocco fan, and be accelerated toward a radial outer side to be discharged.

[0132] The accelerated and discharged air may form an airflow F, and be introduced into the air passage inside the heater housing 812 via the fan housing 822 and the inlet of the housing connector 87.

[0133] In this regard, the rotation shaft of the blowing fan 821 which is the sirocco fan may, by way of example, be disposed to have a directionality generally parallel to the front and rear direction (F-R direction), and air may be sucked through the front surface of the fan housing 822.

[0134] The fan housing 822 may, as illustrated, for example, be fixed to the ring-shaped connection tab 872 provided on the housing connector 87 by a fastening means such as a screw bolt (not shown).

[0135] To support the fan housing 822 and the heater housing 812, the first leg 873 may be integrally formed at the lower portion of the housing connector 87 to protrude toward the base 90.

[0136] The heater part 81 may be constructed by including a heater body 811 exposed to the airflow of air and the heater housing 812 accommodating the heater body 811.

[0137] A front end side of the heater body 811 may be supported by a terminal fixing portion in a state of being separated from the housing connector 87. To the front surface of the terminal fixing portion, a pair of terminals 813 may be fixed so as to protrude to the outside.

[0138] The rear end portion of the housing connector 87, which is entirely in an open state, may be fixed to the heater housing 812 by being fitted into and coupled with it.

[0139] The heater body 811 is disposed in the air passage formed inside the heater housing 812, and preferably is directly exposed to the airflow F inside the air passage to heat the airflow F.

[0140] It may be configured that when the drying air supply part 80 supplies high-temperature airflow, power is supplied to the heater body 811 so as to heat the airflow, and when the drying air supply part 80 supplies low-temperature airflow, power supplied to the heater body 811 is cut off so that operation of the heater body 811 is stopped.

[0141] In this regard, in the case of supplying low-temperature airflow, operation of the blowing fan 821 and the blowing motor may be maintained.

[0142] There is no restriction on the type of heater body 811 provided in the drying air supply part 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and, however, as an example, a tube-shaped sheath heater may be selected which has a relatively simple structure, an excellent heat generation efficiency, and is advantageous in preventing electric leakage caused by the washing water flowing in from the tub 20 and condensate generated inside the drying air supply part 80 by condensation.

[0143] To increase heat exchange efficiency, the heater body 811, which is the sheath heater, may be directly exposed to the airflow F in the air passage inside the heater housing 812, and may be configured to have a three-dimensional shape bent multiple times to secure a heat transfer area as much as possible.

[0144] Additionally, at one end portion and the other end portion of the heater body 811, the pair of terminals 813 may be formed for receiving power supply.

[0145] The rear end side of the heater body 811 may, as illustrated in FIG. 8, be fixed and supported by a heater bracket 814 disposed inside the heater housing 812. That is, the rear end side of the heater body 811 may be supported in the air passage in a state of being separated from the heater housing 812 by the heater bracket 814.

[0146] Meanwhile, on an upper side surface of the heater housing 812, a temperature sensor may be provided as a temperature sensing part 86 sensing a temperature of the heater body 811 or sensing whether the heater body 811 is overheated.

[0147] By way of example, the temperature sensor may include a first thermistor 861 sensing a temperature of the heater housing 812, a thermostat 862 sensing whether the heater body 811 is overheated, and a second thermistor 863 sensing a temperature of airflow having passed through the heater part 81. The second thermistor 863 may be installed in a supply duct part 85, as illustrated in FIG. 7, so that an influence of the heater body 811 can be minimized.

[0148] An output signal of the temperature sensor may be transmitted to a control part (not shown), and the control part may receive the output signal of the temperature sensor to determine a temperature of the airflow and whether the heater body 811 is overheated. When the overheating occurs, the control part may cut off power supply to the heater body 811.

[0149] Meanwhile, the heater housing 812 may be formed in a hollow shape having an empty internal space so as to form an air passage therein in which the above-described heater body 811 and the heater bracket 814 are disposed. By way of example, it may be constructed with split bodies including an upper housing 8121 and a lower housing 8122.

[0150] In the regard, to allow the airflow F to flow, a front end portion of the heater housing 812 corresponding to an upstream side based on a movement direction of the airflow F and a rear end portion corresponding to a downstream side may be at least partially opened.

[0151] Meanwhile, the drying air supply part 80 may further include a supply duct part 85 having an upper end corresponding to one end thereof and extending toward the washing space 21 through the supply hole 254 of the tub 20, and a lower end corresponding to the other end thereof and communicating with the heater housing 812 of the heater part 81.

[0152] As described above, the heater part 81 and the blowing part 82 are disposed under the lower surface 25 of the tub 20, for example, under a bottom tub 20c. The supply duct part 85 serves to guide the airflow discharged from the heater housing 812 to move toward a predetermined position, that is, the supply hole 254 formed in the tub 20.

[0153] The predetermined position may be the lower surface 25 of the tub 20, and the supply hole 254 into which the drying air airflow F guided by the supply duct part 85 is introduced may, as described above, be formed in the corner of the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0154] As in the illustrated embodiment, a duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85 may be configured to have a shape capable of changing a direction of the airflow and connecting the supply hole 254 of the tub 20 with an outlet of the heater housing 812.

[0155] By way of example, the duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85 may be configured in a cylindrical shape having its lower end portion 8512 communicating with the outlet of the heater housing 812 and its upper end 8511 extending in an upward direction (U-direction) to be connected to the supply hole 254.

[0156] The lower end portion 8512 of the duct body 851 may be configured to be slidingly coupled with the heater housing 812.

[0157] On the other hand, in consideration of a rectangular cross-sectional shape of the outlet of the heater housing 812, the lower end portion of the duct body 851 may be in a rectangular tube shape, and the upper end of the duct body 851 may have a cylindrical shape for water leakage prevention.

[0158] That is, for fastening efficiency and water leakage prevention between the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 and the supply hole 254 of the tub 20, the duct body 851 may be formed in a cylindrical shape.

[0159] As illustrated in FIG. 9, the duct body 851 may be provided with a flange 8513 and a male screw portion 8514 having a purpose of fastening to and preventing water leakage with respect to the supply hole 254 of the tub 20.

[0160] Onto the male screw portion 8514 exposed to the inside of the tub 20, as shown in FIG. 9, a fastening nut 852 may be threaded. By threading the fastening nut 852 onto the male screw portion 8514, the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 may be fixed in a state of being exposed to the inside of the tub 20. As illustrated in FIG. 9, between the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 and the flange 8513 of the duct body 851, a sealing ring 853 may be further added for water leakage prevention.

[0161] To the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851, the discharge guide 83 may be coupled for changing the direction of the airflow supplied through the duct body 851 and providing it to the washing space 21.

[0162] Additionally, the drying air supply part 80 may further include a suction duct part 88 having an upper end corresponding to one end and extending toward the washing space 21 through the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20 and the other end connected to the fan housing 822 of the blowing part 82.

[0163] Similar to the supply duct part 85, the suction duct part 88 serves to guide airflow discharged from the washing space through the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20 to move toward the fan housing 822.

[0164] As in the illustrated embodiment, a duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may be configured to have a shape capable of changing the direction of airflow and connecting the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20 with the inlet of the fan housing 822, and to have a shape capable of guiding condensate droplets DP generated therein toward the heater part 81. A configuration regarding guidance of movement of the condensate droplets DP will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

[0165] By way of example, the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may be configured in a hollow three-dimensional shape in which the other end communicates with the inlet of the fan housing 822 and one end extends in the upward direction (U-direction) to be connected to the exhaust hole 253.

[0166] The other end of the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may be configured to be fixed to the fan housing 822 by a fastening means such as a screw bolt.

[0167] On the other hand, for water leakage prevention, the upper end of the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may have a cylindrical shape.

[0168] That is, for water leakage prevention and fastening efficiency between the upper end 8811 of the duct body 881 and the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20, the duct body 881 may be configured in a cylindrical shape.

[0169] The duct body 881 may be provided with a flange 8813 and a male screw portion 8814 having a purpose of fastening to and preventing water leakage with respect to the supply hole 254 of the tub 20.

[0170] To the upper end 8811 of the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88, the suction guide 89 may be coupled for changing the direction of the airflow of air sucked from the washing space 21 and delivering it to the duct body 881.

[0171] In this regard, the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83 may be coupled to the upper end of the suction duct part 88 or the upper end of the supply duct part 85 in a mutually interchangeable manner.

[0172] To implement this interchangeable coupling, the shape / size of the upper end side of the suction duct part 88 exposed to the washing space 21 through the exhaust hole 253 and the shape / size of the upper end side of the supply duct part 85 exposed to the washing space 21 through the supply hole 254 may be formed to be identical to each other.

[0173] Meanwhile, the drying air supply part 80 of the dishwasher 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include the suction guide 89 coupled to the upper end 8811 of the suction duct part 88 as an upper side of the exhaust hole 253, and the discharge guide 83 coupled to the upper end 8511 of the supply duct part 85 as an upper side of the supply hole 254.

[0174] As described above, the exhaust hole 253 may be disposed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the right side surface 27, and the supply hole 254 may be disposed in corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0175] Thereby, corresponding to such positions of the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254, the suction guide 89 may be disposed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the right side surface 27, and the discharge guide 83 may be disposed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0176] The corner formed between the left side surface 26 and the rear surface 23 of the tub 20 corresponds to a position farthest away from an upper end of the front surface 22 of the tub 20 that is partially opened during the drying cycle.

[0177] Accordingly, a time during which the airflow discharged from the discharge guide 83 stays inside the tub 20 can be effectively extended compared to conventional arts. Through this, the airflow can be evenly supplied to the lower rack 51, the upper rack 52, and the top rack 53, and then be introduced into the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 or discharged through an upper end of the front surface of the tub 20, so that thermal energy of the airflow can be effectively transferred to the wash targets and the drying effect on the wash targets can be remarkably improved compared to conventional arts.

[0178] Additionally, the corner between the right side surface 27 and the rear surface 23 of the tub 20, in which the suction guide 89 is disposed, corresponds to a position farthest away from the discharge guide 83 and the upper end of the front surface 22 of the tub 20.

[0179] Thereby, it is possible to minimize the phenomenon in which air discharged from the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 flows directly into the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 without passing through the washing space 21, or external air is directly introduced into the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89.

[0180] Meanwhile, the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83 constituting the drying air supply part 80 of the dishwasher 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may have the same external shape and the same size, and may be provided to be coupled interchangeably to the upper end of the suction duct part 88 or the upper end of the supply duct part 85.

[0181] That is, common parts having the same standard requirements may be applied to the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83. Thus, since common parts having the same standard requirements can be provided as the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83, the manufacturing cost of the dishwasher 1 can be significantly reduced, and assemblability can be significantly improved.

[0182] Meanwhile, the suction guide 89 is provided with the suction port 893 into which air is introduced from the washing space 21, and the discharge guide 83 is provided with the discharge port 833 discharging air into the washing space 21.

[0183] By way of example, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and the following drawings, the discharge guide 83 and the suction guide 89 may have an external shape in which, based on a state of being coupled to the supply duct part 85 and the suction duct part 88, its front and rear direction (F-R direction) width is formed longer than its left and right direction (Le-Ri direction) width, and may be disposed to have the same directionality as each other.

[0184] In this regard, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, each of the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 and the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 may be continuously formed across its right side surface facing the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c, and its rear surface.

[0185] That is, since the discharge guide 83 is disposed very close to the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20c, the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 is in a state of being opened toward a wide space between the discharge guide 83 and the suction guide 89.

[0186] Thereby, high-temperature airflow having passed through the heater part 81 can be discharged toward the wide space formed in the right side of the discharge guide 83, rather than toward a narrow space formed between the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20 and the discharge guide 83, and through this, the high-temperature airflow can immediately rise toward the inside of the washing space 21 and be evenly dispersed into the washing space 21.

[0187] On the other hand, since the suction guide 89 is disposed very close to the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c, the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 is in a state of being opened toward a narrow space between the suction guide 89 and the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c.

[0188] Thereby, the suction port 893 can be formed at a position not directly facing the discharge guide 83, and air cooled after heat exchange with the tableware disposed in the washing space 21 can descend and be introduced thereinto through the narrow space between the suction guide 89 and the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c. Through this, it is possible to improve the heat exchange efficiency for the tableware.

[0189] However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to configure the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 to be formed respectively in a front surface of the suction guide 89 and a front surface of the discharge guide 83 so that the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 face at least partially toward the open front surface of the tub 20.

[0190] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 and the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 may be provided in a slit shape or an elongated rectangular shape in which a height in the up and down direction (U-D direction) is smaller than a length in the front and rear direction (F-R direction). Additionally, in order to enable the drying air to be discharged from a position as low as possible, the heights in the up and down direction (U-D direction) of the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 may be kept constant along the front and rear direction (F-R direction).

[0191] At this time, in order to enable air to be sucked in and discharged from positions as low as possible based on the lower surface 25 of the bottom tub 20, the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 may be formed at positions as close as possible to the lower surface 25 of the bottom tub 20, and the positions in the up and down direction (U-D direction) of the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 may be set to be identical to each other.

[0192] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, a detailed configuration of the discharge guide 83 of the drying air supply part 80 will be described. As described above, unless otherwise indicated, the contents described below may be equally applicable to the suction guide 89.

[0193] As shown in FIG. 9, by way of example, the discharge guide 83 may be constructed by including a lower guide 831 detachably coupled to the duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85, an upper guide 832 coupled to an upper side of the lower guide 831, and a cap cover 834 disposed in the upper side of the upper guide 832 and coupled to the outer surface of the upper guide 832.

[0194] In this way, the discharge guide 83 may be configured to be divided based on the up and down direction (U-D direction), and the lower guide 831 serves to constitute a lower portion of the divided bodies. An upper portion of the divided bodies may be constituted by the upper guide 832 and the cap cover 834.

[0195] The upper guide 832, when being coupled to the upper side of the lower guide 831, serves to form, together with the lower guide 831, an internal flow space in the form of a channel through which airflow F flows.

[0196] In order to form the internal flow space, the upper guide 832 may be formed to have a container shape with an empty space formed therein and with the lower side being entirely open.

[0197] The open lower side of the upper guide 832 may be closed entirely by being coupled with the guide body 8311 of the lower guide 831. Through this, between the upper guide 832 and the lower guide 831, the closed internal flow space can be formed.

[0198] The upper guide 832 may form the container shape having the open lower side by an upper surface 8321 and an outer wall surface 8322 extending in the downward direction (D-direction) along a perimeter of the upper surface 8321.

[0199] In the lower end portion 8323 side of the upper guide 832, a first notch hole may be formed which forms the front edge, the rear edge, and the upper edge of the discharge port 833. The lower edge of the discharge port 833 may be formed by the guide body 8311 of the lower guide 831.

[0200] Meanwhile, the cap cover 834 disposed in the upper side of the upper guide 832 is coupled to the outer surface of the upper guide 832 and serves to protect the upper guide 832.

[0201] In order to prevent the upper guide 832 from being damaged or broken due to a collision with a wash target that may fall from the storage part during the washing process or rinsing process or that may fall during a process in which a user pulls out the storage part, the cap cover 834 may be formed of a material having a breaking strength greater than that of the upper guide 832 and having a corrosion resistance.

[0202] So as to be coupled to an outer surface of the upper guide 832, the cap cover 834 may have a shape corresponding to a shape of the outer surface of the upper guide 832.

[0203] Meanwhile, the lower guide 831 may include the guide body 8311 having a substantially plate shape, and a cylindrical duct coupling portion 8312 to which the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85 having a cylindrical shape is inserted and detachably coupled.

[0204] Corresponding to the shape of the duct body 851, the duct coupling portion 8312 may be provided in a cylindrical shape with the central axis extending parallel to the up and down direction (U-D direction). The inner diameter of the lower end 8312 of the duct coupling portion 8312 may be formed to be greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 so that the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 can be inserted into and passed through the inside.Condensate Droplet Movement Path and Means for Guiding Movement

[0205] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the movement path of condensate droplets DP inside the drying air supply part 80 of the dishwasher 1 according to the present invention, and the means for guiding the movement will be described.

[0206] Referring first to FIG. 10, as shown, within the suction duct part 88, the fan housing 822, and the housing connector 87, which constitute the drying air supply part 80, an air passage may be formed such that the general flow direction of airflow F has a directionality gradually descending as it progresses toward the heater housing 812.

[0207] Thereby, the condensate droplets DP generated inside the suction duct part 88 can be guided to be naturally moved toward the bottom surface of the heater housing 812 by gravity.

[0208] More specifically, the condensate droplets DP generated inside the suction guide 89 and the suction duct part 88 may be moved by gravity toward the outlet of the suction duct part 88 formed at a position lower than the upper end 8811 of the duct body 881 based on the up and down direction. To allow such movement of the condensate droplets DP to proceed smoothly, the bottom surface 8815 formed inside the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may include a first inclined surface having a downward slope whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as it progresses toward the outlet.

[0209] The condensate droplets DP that have passed through the outlet of the duct body 881 may be introduced into the inside of the fan housing 822 by passing through the inlet of the fan housing 822 in communication with the outlet of the duct body 881.

[0210] The condensate droplets DP introduced into the inside of the fan housing 822 may be moved by gravity toward the discharge port 8221 of the fan housing 822 along a second inclined surface of the fan housing 822 which is formed at a position lower, based on the up and down direction, than the inlet of the fan housing 822, and also formed at a position lower, based on the up and down direction, than the first inclined surface of the suction duct part 88. That is,

[0211] as shown in FIG. 11, to allow the movement of the condensate droplets DP toward the discharge port of the fan housing 822 to proceed smoothly, the bottom surface 8222 formed inside the fan housing 822 may include the second inclined surface having a downward slope whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as it progresses from the inlet of the fan housing 822 toward the discharge port 8221 of the fan housing 822.

[0212] In FIG. 11, an embodiment is illustrated in which the bottom surface 8222 of the fan housing 822 is entirely formed as an inclined surface; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also applicable that the bottom surface 8222 of the fan housing 822 is partially formed as an inclined surface.

[0213] The condensate droplets DP that have passed through the discharge port 8221 by way of the bottom surface 8222 of the fan housing 822 may be guided to the heater housing 812 by way of the housing connector 87.

[0214] Although not illustrated, since the bottom surface of the housing connector 87 may also include an inclined surface having a downward slope, the condensate droplets DP may be effectively guided to be moved toward the heater housing 812, and more specifically, toward the lower housing 8122.

[0215] The lower housing 8122 of the heater housing 812 may be positioned at the lowest location, based on the up and down direction, among the air passages formed inside the drying air supply part 80.

[0216] Consequently, the condensate droplets DP which have been moved into and stored within the lower housing 8122 of the heater housing 812 can be evaporated by heat generation of the heater body 811 during operation of the heater body 811, and thereby can be resupplied into the inside of the tub 20.

[0217] As described above, since the drying air supply part 80 according to the present invention is configured such that the condensate droplets DP are not discharged to the outside of the drying air supply part 80, it provides an effect of preventing beforehand the occurrence of the water leakage problem which would arise by draining the condensate droplets DP to the base 90 as in the conventional arts.

[0218] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, the manners in which the discharge guide and the suction guide are disposed according to a second embodiment and a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0219] Referring to FIG. 12, unlike the above-described first embodiment, in the second embodiment and the third embodiment, the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 may be disposed to face the front surface of the tub 20 in which the door 30 is disposed.

[0220] In this way, by arranging the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 to face the front surface of the tub 20, it may be more advantageous to circulate the air inside the tub 20 through the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83, with the door 30 being in a closed state, rather than to operate the drying air supply part 80 in a state in which the door 30 is partially opened by the automatic door opening module 352.

[0221] As described above, in the case of the first embodiment, since the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 are arranged so as not to directly face the front surface of the tub 20, it may also be configured that airflow is discharged toward the washing space 21 of the tub 20 and is suctioned from the washing space 21 of the tub 20, in a state in which the door 30 is partially opened by the automatic door opening module 352.

[0222] Meanwhile, as shown in the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12b, when viewed from above, the discharge port 833 is disposed obliquely with respect to the front surface of the tub 20 so as to face toward the central inside of the tub 20. Thereby, the airflow discharged from the discharge port 833 can be emitted so as to be directed generally toward both the front surface of the tub 20 and the center of the tub 20, and thus it is possible to provide an effect of optimizing the flow of the airflow by the airflow being evenly dispersed in the washing space 21 of the tub 20.

[0223] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings as examples, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. In addition, even if the effects according to the configuration of the present invention were not explicitly written while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects that can be predicted by the configuration should also be recognized.

Examples

first embodiment

[0184]In this regard, according to the present invention, each of the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 and the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 may be continuously formed across its right side surface facing the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c, and its rear surface.

[0185]That is, since the discharge guide 83 is disposed very close to the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20c, the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 is in a state of being opened toward a wide space between the discharge guide 83 and the suction guide 89.

[0186]Thereby, high-temperature airflow having passed through the heater part 81 can be discharged toward the wide space formed in the right side of the discharge guide 83, rather than toward a narrow space formed between the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20 and the discharge guide 83, and through this, the high-temperature airflow can immediately rise toward the inside of the washing space 21 and be evenly disper...

third embodiment

[0222]Meanwhile, as shown in the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12b, when viewed from above, the discharge port 833 is disposed obliquely with respect to the front surface of the tub 20 so as to face toward the central inside of the tub 20. Thereby, the airflow discharged from the discharge port 833 can be emitted so as to be directed generally toward both the front surface of the tub 20 and the center of the tub 20, and thus it is possible to provide an effect of optimizing the flow of the airflow by the airflow being evenly dispersed in the washing space 21 of the tub 20.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a dishwasher, and more particularly, to a dishwasher in which both an exhaust hole through which air is discharged from a tub and a supply hole through which air is resupplied to the tub are formed in the lower surface of the tub such that a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be ensured so as to provide a sufficient air flow rate.Background Art

[0002] A dishwasher is a device which sprays washing water such as water to a wash target such as tableware, cooking utensils and the like accommodated therein to wash the wash target. At this time, the washing water used for washing the wash target may contain a detergent.

[0003] Ordinarily, the dishwasher is constructed by including a washing bath forming a washing space therein, a storage part accommodating the wash target in the washing bath, a spray arm spraying the washing water to the storage part, and a sump storing an amount of water therein and supplying the washing water to the spray arm.

[0004] By using this dishwasher, the time and effort required to wash tableware and other wash target after a meal can be reduced, contributing to user convenience.

[0005] Typically, the dishwasher is configured to perform a washing process of washing the wash target, a rinsing process of proceeding with the rinsing for the wash target, and a drying process of drying the wash target that has been washed and rinsed.

[0006] Recently, dishwashers have been released which can reduce drying time and improve sterilization effects on the wash targets by supplying high-temperature drying airflow into the inside of the tub during the drying process.

[0007] In this regard, Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-1994-0007098 (Related Document 001) discloses a dishwasher including a hot air supply device, in which a suction hole is formed to penetrates through one side surface or upper surface of the tub to supply high-temperature drying airflow into the tub, and which heats the suctioned air and resupplies it into the tub through a discharge port formed on a bottom surface of the tub.

[0008] The hot air supply device of the dishwasher disclosed in Related Document 001 is configured such that a duct connecting the suction hole with the discharge port is provided in a narrow space between one side surface of the tub and the case or between the upper surface of the tub and the case.DISCLOSURETechnical Problem

[0009] As described above, the hot air supply device of the dishwasher disclosed in Related Document 001 has a structure in which the suction hole through which air is suctioned is formed to penetrate through the side surface or the upper surface of the tub, and the duct connecting the suction hole with the discharge port is inevitably extended through a narrow space between the side surface of the tub and the case, or between the upper surface of the tub and the case.

[0010] As a result, the hot air supply device of Related Document 001 has a problem that since air flows through the duct having a considerably small cross-sectional area, the flow rate of air sucked from the tub and the flow rate of air resupplied to the tub are inevitably reduced, resulting in a substantially low drying efficiency.

[0011] Further, the hot air supply device of Related Document 001 has a problem that since the duct having a considerably long extension length is added to connect the suction hole with the discharge port, the overall manufacturing cost may increase and the manufacturing process may also become considerably complex.

[0012] The present invention has been conceived to solve these problems of the related art, and the first object thereof is to provide a dishwasher in which both an exhaust hole through which air is discharged from a tub and a supply hole through which air is resupplied to the tub are formed in the lower surface of the tub such that a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be ensured so as to provide a sufficient air flow rate.

[0013] Additionally, the second object of the present invention is to provide a dishwasher in which a total extension length of a drying air supply part including a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be minimized, thereby significantly reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying the manufacturing process.

[0014] The purposes of the present invention are not limited to the purposes mentioned above, and other unmentioned purposes and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood through the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be readily understood that the purposes and advantages of the present invention can be achieved by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims.Technical Solution

[0015] A dishwasher according to the present invention includes a tub inside which a washing space is formed to have an open front surface; a base disposed below the tub and supporting the tub; and a drying air supply part disposed between the tub and the base, sucking air from the tub, heating and supplying the air to the tub, and is characterized in that an exhaust hole through which the air is discharged from the washing space toward the drying air supply part, and a supply hole through which the air is supplied from the drying air supply part toward the washing space are formed in a lower surface of the tub.

[0016] Also, the exhaust hole may be disposed closer to a right side surface of the tub than to a left side surface of the tub, based on a left and right direction, and the supply hole may be disposed closer to the left side surface of the tub than to the right side surface of the tub, based on a left and right direction.

[0017] Also, the exhaust hole and the supply hole may be disposed closer to a rear surface of the tub than to a front surface of the tub, based on a front and rear direction.

[0018] Also, the dishwasher may further include a sump disposed between the tub and the base, and storing washing water to be supplied to the washing space, wherein a sump hole to which the sump is coupled may be formed in the lower surface of the tub, and the exhaust hole and the supply hole may be formed in a further rear side than the sump hole.

[0019] Also, the exhaust hole and the supply hole may be disposed closer to a rear surface of the tub than the sump hole.

[0020] Also, a front and rear direction distance from the exhaust hole to the sump hole and a front and rear direction distance from the supply hole to the sump hole may be equal to each other.

[0021] Also, the drying air supply part may include a suction guide disposed above the exhaust hole and having a suction port through which the air is introduced from the washing space; a blowing part accelerating the air having passed through the suction port to generate an airflow; a heater part heating the air having passed through the blowing part; and a discharge guide disposed above the supply hole and having a discharge port through which the air having passed through the heater part is discharged into the washing space.

[0022] Also, the suction port and the discharge port may be respectively opened toward the right side surface of the tub.

[0023] Also, the suction port and the discharge port may be respectively opened toward a rear surface of the tub.

[0024] Also, a cross-sectional area of the suction port and a cross-sectional area of the discharge port may be equal to each other.

[0025] Also, an up and down direction distance between the lower surface of the tub and the suction port, and an up and down direction distance between the lower surface of the tub and the discharge port may be equal to each other.

[0026] Also, a front and rear direction distance between a front surface of the tub and the suction port, and a front and rear direction distance between the front surface of the tub and the discharge port may be equal to each other.

[0027] Also, the drying air supply part may further include a suction duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the exhaust hole and another end communicating with the blowing part; and a supply duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the supply hole and another end communicating with the heater part, wherein the suction guide and the discharge guide may be respectively coupled to the one end of the suction duct part and the one end of the supply duct part in an interchangeable manner.

[0028] Also, the suction guide and the discharge guide may have the same shape and the same size as each other.

[0029] Also, the drying air supply part may include a blowing part accelerating the air having passed through the suction port to generate an airflow; a heater part heating the air having passed through the blowing part; a suction duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the exhaust hole and another end communicating with the blowing part; and a supply duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the supply hole and another end communicating with the heater part, wherein washing water introduced into the suction duct from the washing space and condensate generated inside the suction duct may be moved by gravity toward the heater part through the suction duct and the blowing part.

[0030] Also, an internal bottom surface of the suction duct part may include a first inclined surface whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as the first inclined surface of the suction duct part progresses toward the blowing part.

[0031] Also, the blowing part may include a blowing fan being rotated to accelerate the air; and a fan housing rotatably accommodating the blowing fan, wherein an internal bottom surface of the fan housing may include a second inclined surface whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as the internal bottom surface of the fan housing progresses toward the heater part, and wherein the second inclined surface may be formed at a position lower, based on an up and down direction, than the first inclined surface.Advantageous Effects

[0032] The dishwasher according to the present invention provides an effect of significantly improving the drying efficiency by having a structure in which both an exhaust hole through which air is discharged from a tub and a supply hole through which air is resupplied to the tub are formed on a lower surface of the tub such that a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of a duct connecting the exhaust hole and the supply hole can be ensured, thereby enabling a sufficient air flow rate to be provided.

[0033] Further, the dishwasher according to the present invention provides an effect of significantly reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying the manufacturing process by being configured such that the total extension length of the drying air supply part including a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be minimized.

[0034] Further, the dishwasher according to the present invention provides an effect of minimizing the flow resistance of the airflow and significantly reducing the power consumption by being configured such that the total extension length of the drying air supply part including a duct connecting the exhaust hole with the supply hole can be minimized.

[0035] Specific effects of the present invention, including the effects described above, will be described below together with specific matters for practicing the invention.DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a dishwasher according to the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the dishwasher illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0038] FIG. 3A is a front perspective view showing a state in which the door of the dishwasher shown in FIG. 1 is disclosed, and FIG. 3B is a front perspective view showing a state in which the drying air supply part according to the present invention is installed between the base and the tub.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3 and shows a state in which the discharge guide and the suction guide are disposed according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the drying air supply part of FIG. 3 is connected to the tub.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 5, illustrating a side enlarged view of the discharge guide when viewed from the right side.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the drying air supply part according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 7.

[0044] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the discharge guide and the supply duct part.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 7, illustrating a state in which movement of condensate droplets is guided inside the suction duct part.

[0046] FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the blowing part shown in FIG. 8, illustrating a state in which the movement of condensate droplets is guided inside the fan housing.

[0047] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which the discharge guide and the suction guide are disposed according to the second and third embodiments of the present invention.BEST MODEL

[0048] The above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages will now be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can easily practice the technical idea of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used to denote like or similar components.

[0049] Although the terms “first”, “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component, and unless otherwise specifically stated, it is to be understood that a first component may of course be a second component.

[0050] Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specifically stated, each element may be singular or plural.

[0051] Hereinafter, the phrase “any element is disposed on (or below) a component” or “above (or under) a component” may mean not only that the element is disposed in contact with the top surface (or lower surface) of the component, but also that another element may be interposed between the component and the element disposed on (or below) the component.

[0052] Additionally, if a component is described as being “connected,”“coupled,” or “contacted” to another component, the components may be directly connected or contacted to one another, but it is to be understood that another element may be “interposed” between the components, or that the components may be “connected,”“coupled,” or “contacted” to each other through another element.

[0053] As used herein, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms “comprise” or “include” should not be construed to necessarily include all the various components or various steps described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or some of the steps may not be included, or that an additional component or step may be further included.

[0054] Additionally, singular expressions used herein include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms “comprise” or “include” should not be construed to necessarily include all the various components or various steps described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or some of the steps may not be included, or that an additional component or step may be further included.

[0055] Throughout the specification, in the case of using the phrase “A and / or B”, this means A, B, or A and B, unless otherwise specifically stated, and in the case of using the phrase “between C and D”, this means C or more and D or less, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0056] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to drawings showing a configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.Overall Structure of Dishwasher

[0057] Hereinafter, the overall structure of a dishwasher 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a dishwasher 1 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view briefly showing the internal structure of the dishwasher 1 according to the present invention.

[0059] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dishwasher 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a case 10 forming an outer shape, a tub 20 installed inside the case 10, forming a washing space 21 in which wash targets are washed, and having an open front side, a door 30 for opening or closing the open front side of the tub 20, a driving part 40 located in the lower side of the tub 20 to supply, collect, circulate, and discharge washing water for washing the wash targets, a storage part 50 detachably provided in the washing space 21 inside the tub 20, and on which the wash targets are placed, and a spray part 60 installed adjacent to the storage part 50 to spray washing water for washing the wash targets.

[0060] In this regard, examples of the wash targets placed in the storage part 50 may include tableware such as bowls, dishes, spoons, chopsticks and the like, and other cooking utensils. Unless otherwise stated below, the wash targets will be referred to as tableware.

[0061] The tub 20 may be formed in a box shape with the front surface entirely open, and corresponds to a configuration known as a so-called washing bath.

[0062] The washing space 21 is formed inside the tub 20, and the open front surface can be opened and closed by the door 30.

[0063] The tub 20 may be formed by pressing a metal plate that is resistant to high temperature and moisture, for example, a plate made of stainless steel series.

[0064] In addition, on the inner surface of the tub 20, there may be disposed a number of brackets for helping functional components such as the storage part 50, the spray part 60 and the like to be described later to be supported and installed within the tub 20.

[0065] Meanwhile, the driving part 40 may be constructed by including a sump 41 storing the washing water, a sump cover 42 separating the sump 41 from the tub 20, a water supply part 43 supplying the washing water to the sump 41 from the outside, a drain part 44 discharging the washing water from the sump 41 to the outside, and a washing pump 45 and a supply flow path 46 which supply the washing water from the sump 41 to the spray part 60.

[0066] The water supply part 43 serves to supply to the sump 41 the washing water supplied from an external water supply source.

[0067] Although not illustrated, the water supply part 43 may be constructed by including a water jacket storing the washing water supplied from an external water supply source, and a water softening device softening the washing water stored in the water jacket.

[0068] The sump cover 42 is disposed on the upper side of the sump 41, and can serve to separate the tub 20 from the sump 41. Additionally, the sump cover 42 may be provided with a plurality of recovery holes for recovering the washing water sprayed into the washing space 21 through the spray part 60 into the sump 41.

[0069] That is, the washing water sprayed from the spray part 60 toward the tableware may fall to the bottom of the washing space 21, and may be returned to the sump 41 through the sump cover 42.

[0070] The washing pump 45 is provided at one side or the bottom of the sump 41, and serves to pressurize the washing water to supply it to the spray part 60.

[0071] The washing pump 45 may be connected at one end to the sump 41, and at the other end to the supply flow path 46. The washing pump 45 may include an impeller 451 and a motor 453. When power is supplied to the motor 453, the impeller 451 rotates, and the washing water in the sump 41 can be pressurized and then supplied to the spray part 60 through the supply flow path 46.

[0072] Although not shown, at one end of the washing pump 45, there may be provided a washing water heater for heating the washing water supplied in progress of a washing process or a heating and rinsing process.

[0073] Meanwhile, the supply flow path 46 may serve to selectively supply the washing water supplied from the washing pump 45 to the spray part 60.

[0074] For example, the supply flow path 46 may include a first supply flow path 461 connected to a lower spray arm 61, and a second supply flow path 463 connected to an upper spray arm 62 and a top nozzle 63, and the supply flow path 46 may be provided with a supply flow path switching valve 465 that selectively opens or closes the supply flow paths 461, 463.

[0075] In this regard, the supply flow path switching valve 465 may be controlled so that each of the supply flow paths 461, 463 is opened sequentially or simultaneously.

[0076] Meanwhile, the spray part 60 is provided to spray the washing water on tableware and the like stored in the storage part 50.

[0077] More specifically, the spray part 60 may include the lower spray arm 61 positioned in the lower side of the tub 20 to spray the washing water to a lower rack 51, the upper spray arm 62 positioned between the lower rack51 and an upper rack 52 to spray the washing water to the lower rack 51 and the upper rack 52, and the top nozzle 63 positioned in the upper side of the tub 20 to spray the washing water to a top rack 53 or the upper rack 52.

[0078] Particularly, the lower spray arm 61 and the upper spray arm 62 may be rotatably provided in the washing space 21 of the tub 20 so that they can spray the washing water toward the tableware in the storage part 50 while rotating.

[0079] The lower spray arm 61 may be rotatably supported at the upper side of the sump cover 42 so that it can spray the washing water toward the lower rack 51 from the lower side of the lower rack 51 while rotating.

[0080] Additionally, the upper spray arm 62 may be rotatably supported by a spray arm holder 467 so that it can spray the washing water between the lower rack 51 and the upper rack 52 while rotating.

[0081] Meanwhile, although not shown, a means for diverting the washing water sprayed from the lower spray arm 61 in an up direction U-direction may be further provided at the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 to increase the washing efficiency.

[0082] Since the detailed configuration of the spray part 60 can be embodied by applying a configuration already known in the art, a description of the specific configuration of the spray part 60 will be omitted below.

[0083] Meanwhile, the storage part 50 for storing the tableware may be provided in the washing space 21.

[0084] The storage part 50 is provided so as to be withdrawable from the inside of the tub 20 through the open front side of the tub 20.

[0085] For example, FIG. 2 shows an embodiment which provides the storage part including the lower rack 51 located in the lower side of the tub 20 and capable of storing relatively large tableware, the upper rack 52 located in the upper side of the lower rack 51 and capable of storing medium-sized tableware, and the top rack 53 located in the upper side of the tub 20 and capable of storing small tableware and the like. The present invention will be described based on an embodiment of the dishwasher provided with three storage parts 50 as illustrated, but not limited thereto.

[0086] These lower rack 51, upper rack 52 and top rack 53 can each be configured to be pulled to the outside through the open front side of the tub 20.

[0087] To this end, on opposite side walls forming the inner surface of the tub 20, there may be provided guide rails 54, and for example, the guide rails 54 may include upper rails 542, lower rails 541, and top rails 543.

[0088] On the bottom of each of these lower rack 51, upper rack 52, and top rack 53 wheels may be provided. By pulling these lower rack 51, upper rack 52 and top rack 53 to the outside through the front side of the tub 20, the user can easily store tableware in them, or take out washed tableware from them.

[0089] The guide rails 54 may be provided with fixed guide rails in the form of simple rails for guiding the withdrawal and insertion of the storage part 50 or with telescopic guide rails guiding the withdrawal and insertion of the storage part 50 and being extensible to increase the withdrawal distance according to withdrawal of the storage part 50.

[0090] Meanwhile, the door 30 has the purpose of opening and closing the open front surface of the above-described tub 20.

[0091] In the lower side of the front side that is generally open, there is provided a hinge part (not shown) for opening and closing the door 30, and the door 30 is opened by rotating around the hinge part as a rotation shaft.

[0092] Here, on the front surface as the outer surface of the door 30, there may be provided a handle 31 for opening the door 30 and a control panel 32 for controlling the dishwasher 1.

[0093] As illustrated, the control panel 32 provided on the front surface of the door 30 may be provided with a display 33 visually displaying information about the current operating status of the dishwasher and the like, and a button part 34 including a selection button by which a user's selection operation is input, and a power button by which a user's operation for turning the dishwasher on and off is input.

[0094] Meanwhile, when the door 30 is closed, the inner surface of the door 30 may form the front surface corresponding to one surface of the tub 20, while, when the door 30 is fully opened, it may, as well, form a seating surface on which the lower rack 51 of the storage part 50 can be supported.

[0095] To this end, it is preferable that when the door 30 is fully opened, the inner surface of the door 30 forms a horizontal plane in the same direction as the extension of the guide rails 54 by which the lower rack 51 is guided.

[0096] Although not shown, on the inner surface of the door 30, there may be further provided a detergent supply device for automatically supplying detergent into the inside of the tub 20.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 2, on the outer side of the upper surface of the tub 20 an automatic door opening module 352 may be provided to automatically open the door.

[0098] When a drying air supply part 80 to be described later is operated and drying air is supplied to the inside of the tub 20, the automatic door opening module 352 serves to partially open the front surface of the tub 20 by moving the door 30 to a predetermined open position.

[0099] Thereby, the air which has been humidified while drying the tableware may be discharged through an upper portion of the open front side of the tub 20.

[0100] For example, the automatic door opening module 352 may be provided with a push rod 3524 rotating the upper end of the rear surface of the door 30 to the open position.

[0101] Meanwhile, at the bottom of the tub 20, there may be provided a drying air supply part 80 for generating and supplying high-temperature or low-temperature drying air to the washing space inside the tub 20.

[0102] As illustrated, the drying air supply part 80 may be constructed by including a suction guide 89 disposed inside the tub 20 and into which an airflow is introduced from the tub 20, a blowing fan 825 generating a drying air airflow, a heater part 84 heating the drying air airflow, and a discharge guide 83 disposed inside the tub 20 and discharging the drying air airflow toward the tub 20.

[0103] In a lower surface 25 of the tub 20, an exhaust hole 253 for allowing air inside the tub 20 to be discharged to the drying air supply part 80 and a supply hole 254 for allowing a drying air airflow generated from the drying air supply part 80 to be supplied to the inside of the tub 20 may be formed to penetrate therethrough.

[0104] The detailed configuration of the drying air supply part 80 will be described hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3A and the following drawings.Detailed Configuration of Drying Air Supply Part

[0105] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3A to 9, the detailed configuration of the aforementioned drying air supply part 80 will be described.

[0106] First, as illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the drying air supply part 80 may be accommodated in a base 90 supporting the tub 20, and be disposed to be supported by the bottom 91 of the base 90.

[0107] Besides, correspondingly, both the supply hole 254 through which an airflow is supplied toward the washing space 21 of the tub 20 and the exhaust hole 253 through which an airflow is discharged from the washing space 21 toward the drying air supply part 80 may be formed in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20.

[0108] That is, unlike the related art, the dishwasher 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that the exhaust hole 253 through which air inside the tub 20 is discharged is formed to penetrate the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 together with the supply hole 254. Thus, by forming the exhaust hole 253 in the lower surface 25, rather than in the left side surface 26, the right side surface 27, or the rear surface 23 of the tub 20, a distance between the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254 can be minimized, and a flow distance and flow loss of airflow flowing between them can be minimized.

[0109] Meanwhile, as illustrated, the drying air supply part 80 may be disposed at a position adjacent to a rear surface 93 of the base 90, and may be arranged to be elongated generally in parallel with the rear surface 93 of the base 90 at a position between a water leakage sensing part and the rear surface 93 of the base 90.

[0110] This disposition position may be selected in consideration of characteristics of the drying air supply part 80 in which high heat of about 100° C. or higher is generated in a high-temperature airflow supply mode, and the position of the sump 41 accommodated together in the base 90 and having a relatively large occupied space.

[0111] That is, a position capable of avoiding electrical components that are relatively greatly affected by high heat and the sump 41 having a relatively large volume may be selected.

[0112] Accordingly, based on the front and rear direction, the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254 may be disposed much closer to the rear surface 23 of the tub 20 than to the front surface of the tub 20.

[0113] In addition, based on the left and right direction, the exhaust hole 253 may be disposed much closer to the right side surface 27 of the tub 20 than to the left side surface 26 of the tub 20, and the supply hole 254 may be disposed closer to the left side surface 26 of the tub 20 than to the right side surface 27 of the tub 20.

[0114] In this regard, so as to be disposed avoiding the sump 41, the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254 may be disposed further to the rear than the sump hole 252, and may be disposed closer to the rear surface 23 of the tub 20 than the sump hole 252.

[0115] That is, the exhaust hole 253, through which air is discharged from the washing space 21 toward the drying air supply part 80, may be disposed in a corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the right side surface 27, and the supply hole 254, through which air is supplied to the washing space 21, may be formed in a corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0116] In this regard, so as to minimize an occupied space by the drying air supply part 80, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a front and rear direction distance DI from the exhaust hole 253 to the sump hole 252 and a front and rear direction distance D2 from the supply hole 254 to the sump hole 252 may be set to be equal to each other.

[0117] Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, on an outer side of the right side surface 27 of the tub 20, a water jacket 110 in which washing water to be supplied to the sump 41 is stored is disposed, and the water jacket 110 may be provided with a tub hole 118 formed therein to communicate its internal space with the washing space 21 of the tub 20.

[0118] Corresponding to this tub 20, a water jacket communication hole 272 may be formed in the right side surface 27 of the tub 20.

[0119] Accordingly, because the supply hole 254 can be formed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26, which corresponds to a position spaced apart as far as possible from the right side surface 27 of the tub 20 where the water jacket communication hole 272 is formed, influence on the internal pressure of the washing space 21 of the tub 20 by the supply hole 254 can be minimized, and thus it can be advantageous for maintaining the internal pressure of the washing space 21.

[0120] Meanwhile, as will be described later, above the exhaust hole 253, there may be disposed the suction guide 89 having a suction port 893 into which an airflow of air is introduced from the washing space 21, and above the supply hole 254, there may be disposed the discharge guide 83 having a discharge port 833 through which an airflow of air is discharged into the washing space 21.

[0121] Meanwhile, in the bottom 91 of the base 90, there may be provided a support rib (not shown) for supporting the drying air supply part 80 and preventing its detachment, a plurality of guide ribs (not shown) for setting a position of the water leakage sensing part (not shown) that senses whether washing water leaks from the tub 20 and preventing its detachment, and a washing water rib (not shown) for guiding washing water discharged from the drying air supply part 80 to the water leakage sensing part.

[0122] Preferably, these support rib, guide ribs, and washing water rib may be integrally formed on the bottom surface 91 of the base 90.

[0123] The support rib may be coupled in a non-fastening manner with a first leg 873 and a second leg 892 of the drying air supply part 80, which will be described later.

[0124] In FIG. 4 and the following drawings, a detailed configuration of the drying air supply part 80 is illustrated.

[0125] As illustrated, the drying air supply part 80, which generates drying air and supplies it into the inside of the tub 20, may be constructed by including a blowing part 82 generating an airflow F of air supplied into the inside of the tub 20, a heater part 81 heating the airflow of air, a suction guide 89 sucking air from the washing space 21 of the tub 20, and a discharge guide 83 discharging air toward the washing space 21.

[0126] The blowing part 82 is disposed upstream of the heater part 81 based on a flow direction of the airflow F, and serves to accelerate air into an air passage formed inside a heater housing 812 so as to generate the airflow F of the air.

[0127] The blowing part 82 may include a blowing fan 821 and a blowing motor (not shown) generating a rotational driving force of the blowing fan 821, and the blowing fan 821 and the blowing motor may be modularized with each other to form an assembly in a manner of being accommodated in the inside of a fan housing 822.

[0128] The blowing fan 821 and the fan housing 822 may be fixed to a housing connector 87 to be described later.

[0129] More specifically, the blowing fan 821 and the fan housing 822 may be connected to the housing connector 87 with their one side surface fixed to a connection tab 872 of the housing connector 87.

[0130] There is no restriction on the type of blowing fan applied to the drying air supply part 80, but, as an example, in consideration of positional constraints and spatial constraints regarding where the blowing fan is installed, a sirocco fan is preferable.

[0131] As illustrated, in a case where a sirocco fan is applied, air may be sucked from a front surface of the fan housing 822 in which a suction port is formed in a direction parallel to a rotation shaft from the center of the sirocco fan, and be accelerated toward a radial outer side to be discharged.

[0132] The accelerated and discharged air may form an airflow F, and be introduced into the air passage inside the heater housing 812 via the fan housing 822 and the inlet of the housing connector 87.

[0133] In this regard, the rotation shaft of the blowing fan 821 which is the sirocco fan may, by way of example, be disposed to have a directionality generally parallel to the front and rear direction (F-R direction), and air may be sucked through the front surface of the fan housing 822.

[0134] The fan housing 822 may, as illustrated, for example, be fixed to the ring-shaped connection tab 872 provided on the housing connector 87 by a fastening means such as a screw bolt (not shown).

[0135] To support the fan housing 822 and the heater housing 812, the first leg 873 may be integrally formed at the lower portion of the housing connector 87 to protrude toward the base 90.

[0136] The heater part 81 may be constructed by including a heater body 811 exposed to the airflow of air and the heater housing 812 accommodating the heater body 811.

[0137] A front end side of the heater body 811 may be supported by a terminal fixing portion in a state of being separated from the housing connector 87. To the front surface of the terminal fixing portion, a pair of terminals 813 may be fixed so as to protrude to the outside.

[0138] The rear end portion of the housing connector 87, which is entirely in an open state, may be fixed to the heater housing 812 by being fitted into and coupled with it.

[0139] The heater body 811 is disposed in the air passage formed inside the heater housing 812, and preferably is directly exposed to the airflow F inside the air passage to heat the airflow F.

[0140] It may be configured that when the drying air supply part 80 supplies high-temperature airflow, power is supplied to the heater body 811 so as to heat the airflow, and when the drying air supply part 80 supplies low-temperature airflow, power supplied to the heater body 811 is cut off so that operation of the heater body 811 is stopped.

[0141] In this regard, in the case of supplying low-temperature airflow, operation of the blowing fan 821 and the blowing motor may be maintained.

[0142] There is no restriction on the type of heater body 811 provided in the drying air supply part 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and, however, as an example, a tube-shaped sheath heater may be selected which has a relatively simple structure, an excellent heat generation efficiency, and is advantageous in preventing electric leakage caused by the washing water flowing in from the tub 20 and condensate generated inside the drying air supply part 80 by condensation.

[0143] To increase heat exchange efficiency, the heater body 811, which is the sheath heater, may be directly exposed to the airflow F in the air passage inside the heater housing 812, and may be configured to have a three-dimensional shape bent multiple times to secure a heat transfer area as much as possible.

[0144] Additionally, at one end portion and the other end portion of the heater body 811, the pair of terminals 813 may be formed for receiving power supply.

[0145] The rear end side of the heater body 811 may, as illustrated in FIG. 8, be fixed and supported by a heater bracket 814 disposed inside the heater housing 812. That is, the rear end side of the heater body 811 may be supported in the air passage in a state of being separated from the heater housing 812 by the heater bracket 814.

[0146] Meanwhile, on an upper side surface of the heater housing 812, a temperature sensor may be provided as a temperature sensing part 86 sensing a temperature of the heater body 811 or sensing whether the heater body 811 is overheated.

[0147] By way of example, the temperature sensor may include a first thermistor 861 sensing a temperature of the heater housing 812, a thermostat 862 sensing whether the heater body 811 is overheated, and a second thermistor 863 sensing a temperature of airflow having passed through the heater part 81. The second thermistor 863 may be installed in a supply duct part 85, as illustrated in FIG. 7, so that an influence of the heater body 811 can be minimized.

[0148] An output signal of the temperature sensor may be transmitted to a control part (not shown), and the control part may receive the output signal of the temperature sensor to determine a temperature of the airflow and whether the heater body 811 is overheated. When the overheating occurs, the control part may cut off power supply to the heater body 811.

[0149] Meanwhile, the heater housing 812 may be formed in a hollow shape having an empty internal space so as to form an air passage therein in which the above-described heater body 811 and the heater bracket 814 are disposed. By way of example, it may be constructed with split bodies including an upper housing 8121 and a lower housing 8122.

[0150] In the regard, to allow the airflow F to flow, a front end portion of the heater housing 812 corresponding to an upstream side based on a movement direction of the airflow F and a rear end portion corresponding to a downstream side may be at least partially opened.

[0151] Meanwhile, the drying air supply part 80 may further include a supply duct part 85 having an upper end corresponding to one end thereof and extending toward the washing space 21 through the supply hole 254 of the tub 20, and a lower end corresponding to the other end thereof and communicating with the heater housing 812 of the heater part 81.

[0152] As described above, the heater part 81 and the blowing part 82 are disposed under the lower surface 25 of the tub 20, for example, under a bottom tub 20c. The supply duct part 85 serves to guide the airflow discharged from the heater housing 812 to move toward a predetermined position, that is, the supply hole 254 formed in the tub 20.

[0153] The predetermined position may be the lower surface 25 of the tub 20, and the supply hole 254 into which the drying air airflow F guided by the supply duct part 85 is introduced may, as described above, be formed in the corner of the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0154] As in the illustrated embodiment, a duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85 may be configured to have a shape capable of changing a direction of the airflow and connecting the supply hole 254 of the tub 20 with an outlet of the heater housing 812.

[0155] By way of example, the duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85 may be configured in a cylindrical shape having its lower end portion 8512 communicating with the outlet of the heater housing 812 and its upper end 8511 extending in an upward direction (U-direction) to be connected to the supply hole 254.

[0156] The lower end portion 8512 of the duct body 851 may be configured to be slidingly coupled with the heater housing 812.

[0157] On the other hand, in consideration of a rectangular cross-sectional shape of the outlet of the heater housing 812, the lower end portion of the duct body 851 may be in a rectangular tube shape, and the upper end of the duct body 851 may have a cylindrical shape for water leakage prevention.

[0158] That is, for fastening efficiency and water leakage prevention between the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 and the supply hole 254 of the tub 20, the duct body 851 may be formed in a cylindrical shape.

[0159] As illustrated in FIG. 9, the duct body 851 may be provided with a flange 8513 and a male screw portion 8514 having a purpose of fastening to and preventing water leakage with respect to the supply hole 254 of the tub 20.

[0160] Onto the male screw portion 8514 exposed to the inside of the tub 20, as shown in FIG. 9, a fastening nut 852 may be threaded. By threading the fastening nut 852 onto the male screw portion 8514, the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 may be fixed in a state of being exposed to the inside of the tub 20. As illustrated in FIG. 9, between the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 and the flange 8513 of the duct body 851, a sealing ring 853 may be further added for water leakage prevention.

[0161] To the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851, the discharge guide 83 may be coupled for changing the direction of the airflow supplied through the duct body 851 and providing it to the washing space 21.

[0162] Additionally, the drying air supply part 80 may further include a suction duct part 88 having an upper end corresponding to one end and extending toward the washing space 21 through the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20 and the other end connected to the fan housing 822 of the blowing part 82.

[0163] Similar to the supply duct part 85, the suction duct part 88 serves to guide airflow discharged from the washing space through the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20 to move toward the fan housing 822.

[0164] As in the illustrated embodiment, a duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may be configured to have a shape capable of changing the direction of airflow and connecting the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20 with the inlet of the fan housing 822, and to have a shape capable of guiding condensate droplets DP generated therein toward the heater part 81. A configuration regarding guidance of movement of the condensate droplets DP will be described later with reference to FIG. 10.

[0165] By way of example, the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may be configured in a hollow three-dimensional shape in which the other end communicates with the inlet of the fan housing 822 and one end extends in the upward direction (U-direction) to be connected to the exhaust hole 253.

[0166] The other end of the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may be configured to be fixed to the fan housing 822 by a fastening means such as a screw bolt.

[0167] On the other hand, for water leakage prevention, the upper end of the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may have a cylindrical shape.

[0168] That is, for water leakage prevention and fastening efficiency between the upper end 8811 of the duct body 881 and the exhaust hole 253 of the tub 20, the duct body 881 may be configured in a cylindrical shape.

[0169] The duct body 881 may be provided with a flange 8813 and a male screw portion 8814 having a purpose of fastening to and preventing water leakage with respect to the supply hole 254 of the tub 20.

[0170] To the upper end 8811 of the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88, the suction guide 89 may be coupled for changing the direction of the airflow of air sucked from the washing space 21 and delivering it to the duct body 881.

[0171] In this regard, the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83 may be coupled to the upper end of the suction duct part 88 or the upper end of the supply duct part 85 in a mutually interchangeable manner.

[0172] To implement this interchangeable coupling, the shape / size of the upper end side of the suction duct part 88 exposed to the washing space 21 through the exhaust hole 253 and the shape / size of the upper end side of the supply duct part 85 exposed to the washing space 21 through the supply hole 254 may be formed to be identical to each other.

[0173] Meanwhile, the drying air supply part 80 of the dishwasher 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include the suction guide 89 coupled to the upper end 8811 of the suction duct part 88 as an upper side of the exhaust hole 253, and the discharge guide 83 coupled to the upper end 8511 of the supply duct part 85 as an upper side of the supply hole 254.

[0174] As described above, the exhaust hole 253 may be disposed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the right side surface 27, and the supply hole 254 may be disposed in corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0175] Thereby, corresponding to such positions of the exhaust hole 253 and the supply hole 254, the suction guide 89 may be disposed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the right side surface 27, and the discharge guide 83 may be disposed in the corner in the lower surface 25 of the tub 20 adjacent to the rear surface 23 and the left side surface 26.

[0176] The corner formed between the left side surface 26 and the rear surface 23 of the tub 20 corresponds to a position farthest away from an upper end of the front surface 22 of the tub 20 that is partially opened during the drying cycle.

[0177] Accordingly, a time during which the airflow discharged from the discharge guide 83 stays inside the tub 20 can be effectively extended compared to conventional arts. Through this, the airflow can be evenly supplied to the lower rack 51, the upper rack 52, and the top rack 53, and then be introduced into the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 or discharged through an upper end of the front surface of the tub 20, so that thermal energy of the airflow can be effectively transferred to the wash targets and the drying effect on the wash targets can be remarkably improved compared to conventional arts.

[0178] Additionally, the corner between the right side surface 27 and the rear surface 23 of the tub 20, in which the suction guide 89 is disposed, corresponds to a position farthest away from the discharge guide 83 and the upper end of the front surface 22 of the tub 20.

[0179] Thereby, it is possible to minimize the phenomenon in which air discharged from the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 flows directly into the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 without passing through the washing space 21, or external air is directly introduced into the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89.

[0180] Meanwhile, the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83 constituting the drying air supply part 80 of the dishwasher 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention may have the same external shape and the same size, and may be provided to be coupled interchangeably to the upper end of the suction duct part 88 or the upper end of the supply duct part 85.

[0181] That is, common parts having the same standard requirements may be applied to the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83. Thus, since common parts having the same standard requirements can be provided as the suction guide 89 and the discharge guide 83, the manufacturing cost of the dishwasher 1 can be significantly reduced, and assemblability can be significantly improved.

[0182] Meanwhile, the suction guide 89 is provided with the suction port 893 into which air is introduced from the washing space 21, and the discharge guide 83 is provided with the discharge port 833 discharging air into the washing space 21.

[0183] By way of example, as illustrated in FIG. 4 and the following drawings, the discharge guide 83 and the suction guide 89 may have an external shape in which, based on a state of being coupled to the supply duct part 85 and the suction duct part 88, its front and rear direction (F-R direction) width is formed longer than its left and right direction (Le-Ri direction) width, and may be disposed to have the same directionality as each other.

[0184] In this regard, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, each of the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 and the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 may be continuously formed across its right side surface facing the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c, and its rear surface.

[0185] That is, since the discharge guide 83 is disposed very close to the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20c, the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 is in a state of being opened toward a wide space between the discharge guide 83 and the suction guide 89.

[0186] Thereby, high-temperature airflow having passed through the heater part 81 can be discharged toward the wide space formed in the right side of the discharge guide 83, rather than toward a narrow space formed between the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20 and the discharge guide 83, and through this, the high-temperature airflow can immediately rise toward the inside of the washing space 21 and be evenly dispersed into the washing space 21.

[0187] On the other hand, since the suction guide 89 is disposed very close to the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c, the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 is in a state of being opened toward a narrow space between the suction guide 89 and the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c.

[0188] Thereby, the suction port 893 can be formed at a position not directly facing the discharge guide 83, and air cooled after heat exchange with the tableware disposed in the washing space 21 can descend and be introduced thereinto through the narrow space between the suction guide 89 and the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c. Through this, it is possible to improve the heat exchange efficiency for the tableware.

[0189] However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to configure the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 to be formed respectively in a front surface of the suction guide 89 and a front surface of the discharge guide 83 so that the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 face at least partially toward the open front surface of the tub 20.

[0190] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 and the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 may be provided in a slit shape or an elongated rectangular shape in which a height in the up and down direction (U-D direction) is smaller than a length in the front and rear direction (F-R direction). Additionally, in order to enable the drying air to be discharged from a position as low as possible, the heights in the up and down direction (U-D direction) of the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 may be kept constant along the front and rear direction (F-R direction).

[0191] At this time, in order to enable air to be sucked in and discharged from positions as low as possible based on the lower surface 25 of the bottom tub 20, the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 may be formed at positions as close as possible to the lower surface 25 of the bottom tub 20, and the positions in the up and down direction (U-D direction) of the suction port 893 and the discharge port 833 may be set to be identical to each other.

[0192] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, a detailed configuration of the discharge guide 83 of the drying air supply part 80 will be described. As described above, unless otherwise indicated, the contents described below may be equally applicable to the suction guide 89.

[0193] As shown in FIG. 9, by way of example, the discharge guide 83 may be constructed by including a lower guide 831 detachably coupled to the duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85, an upper guide 832 coupled to an upper side of the lower guide 831, and a cap cover 834 disposed in the upper side of the upper guide 832 and coupled to the outer surface of the upper guide 832.

[0194] In this way, the discharge guide 83 may be configured to be divided based on the up and down direction (U-D direction), and the lower guide 831 serves to constitute a lower portion of the divided bodies. An upper portion of the divided bodies may be constituted by the upper guide 832 and the cap cover 834.

[0195] The upper guide 832, when being coupled to the upper side of the lower guide 831, serves to form, together with the lower guide 831, an internal flow space in the form of a channel through which airflow F flows.

[0196] In order to form the internal flow space, the upper guide 832 may be formed to have a container shape with an empty space formed therein and with the lower side being entirely open.

[0197] The open lower side of the upper guide 832 may be closed entirely by being coupled with the guide body 8311 of the lower guide 831. Through this, between the upper guide 832 and the lower guide 831, the closed internal flow space can be formed.

[0198] The upper guide 832 may form the container shape having the open lower side by an upper surface 8321 and an outer wall surface 8322 extending in the downward direction (D-direction) along a perimeter of the upper surface 8321.

[0199] In the lower end portion 8323 side of the upper guide 832, a first notch hole may be formed which forms the front edge, the rear edge, and the upper edge of the discharge port 833. The lower edge of the discharge port 833 may be formed by the guide body 8311 of the lower guide 831.

[0200] Meanwhile, the cap cover 834 disposed in the upper side of the upper guide 832 is coupled to the outer surface of the upper guide 832 and serves to protect the upper guide 832.

[0201] In order to prevent the upper guide 832 from being damaged or broken due to a collision with a wash target that may fall from the storage part during the washing process or rinsing process or that may fall during a process in which a user pulls out the storage part, the cap cover 834 may be formed of a material having a breaking strength greater than that of the upper guide 832 and having a corrosion resistance.

[0202] So as to be coupled to an outer surface of the upper guide 832, the cap cover 834 may have a shape corresponding to a shape of the outer surface of the upper guide 832.

[0203] Meanwhile, the lower guide 831 may include the guide body 8311 having a substantially plate shape, and a cylindrical duct coupling portion 8312 to which the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 of the supply duct part 85 having a cylindrical shape is inserted and detachably coupled.

[0204] Corresponding to the shape of the duct body 851, the duct coupling portion 8312 may be provided in a cylindrical shape with the central axis extending parallel to the up and down direction (U-D direction). The inner diameter of the lower end 8312 of the duct coupling portion 8312 may be formed to be greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 so that the upper end 8511 of the duct body 851 can be inserted into and passed through the inside.Condensate Droplet Movement Path and Means for Guiding Movement

[0205] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the movement path of condensate droplets DP inside the drying air supply part 80 of the dishwasher 1 according to the present invention, and the means for guiding the movement will be described.

[0206] Referring first to FIG. 10, as shown, within the suction duct part 88, the fan housing 822, and the housing connector 87, which constitute the drying air supply part 80, an air passage may be formed such that the general flow direction of airflow F has a directionality gradually descending as it progresses toward the heater housing 812.

[0207] Thereby, the condensate droplets DP generated inside the suction duct part 88 can be guided to be naturally moved toward the bottom surface of the heater housing 812 by gravity.

[0208] More specifically, the condensate droplets DP generated inside the suction guide 89 and the suction duct part 88 may be moved by gravity toward the outlet of the suction duct part 88 formed at a position lower than the upper end 8811 of the duct body 881 based on the up and down direction. To allow such movement of the condensate droplets DP to proceed smoothly, the bottom surface 8815 formed inside the duct body 881 of the suction duct part 88 may include a first inclined surface having a downward slope whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as it progresses toward the outlet.

[0209] The condensate droplets DP that have passed through the outlet of the duct body 881 may be introduced into the inside of the fan housing 822 by passing through the inlet of the fan housing 822 in communication with the outlet of the duct body 881.

[0210] The condensate droplets DP introduced into the inside of the fan housing 822 may be moved by gravity toward the discharge port 8221 of the fan housing 822 along a second inclined surface of the fan housing 822 which is formed at a position lower, based on the up and down direction, than the inlet of the fan housing 822, and also formed at a position lower, based on the up and down direction, than the first inclined surface of the suction duct part 88. That is,

[0211] as shown in FIG. 11, to allow the movement of the condensate droplets DP toward the discharge port of the fan housing 822 to proceed smoothly, the bottom surface 8222 formed inside the fan housing 822 may include the second inclined surface having a downward slope whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as it progresses from the inlet of the fan housing 822 toward the discharge port 8221 of the fan housing 822.

[0212] In FIG. 11, an embodiment is illustrated in which the bottom surface 8222 of the fan housing 822 is entirely formed as an inclined surface; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also applicable that the bottom surface 8222 of the fan housing 822 is partially formed as an inclined surface.

[0213] The condensate droplets DP that have passed through the discharge port 8221 by way of the bottom surface 8222 of the fan housing 822 may be guided to the heater housing 812 by way of the housing connector 87.

[0214] Although not illustrated, since the bottom surface of the housing connector 87 may also include an inclined surface having a downward slope, the condensate droplets DP may be effectively guided to be moved toward the heater housing 812, and more specifically, toward the lower housing 8122.

[0215] The lower housing 8122 of the heater housing 812 may be positioned at the lowest location, based on the up and down direction, among the air passages formed inside the drying air supply part 80.

[0216] Consequently, the condensate droplets DP which have been moved into and stored within the lower housing 8122 of the heater housing 812 can be evaporated by heat generation of the heater body 811 during operation of the heater body 811, and thereby can be resupplied into the inside of the tub 20.

[0217] As described above, since the drying air supply part 80 according to the present invention is configured such that the condensate droplets DP are not discharged to the outside of the drying air supply part 80, it provides an effect of preventing beforehand the occurrence of the water leakage problem which would arise by draining the condensate droplets DP to the base 90 as in the conventional arts.

[0218] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 12, the manners in which the discharge guide and the suction guide are disposed according to a second embodiment and a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0219] Referring to FIG. 12, unlike the above-described first embodiment, in the second embodiment and the third embodiment, the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 may be disposed to face the front surface of the tub 20 in which the door 30 is disposed.

[0220] In this way, by arranging the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 to face the front surface of the tub 20, it may be more advantageous to circulate the air inside the tub 20 through the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83, with the door 30 being in a closed state, rather than to operate the drying air supply part 80 in a state in which the door 30 is partially opened by the automatic door opening module 352.

[0221] As described above, in the case of the first embodiment, since the intake port 893 of the suction guide 89 and the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 are arranged so as not to directly face the front surface of the tub 20, it may also be configured that airflow is discharged toward the washing space 21 of the tub 20 and is suctioned from the washing space 21 of the tub 20, in a state in which the door 30 is partially opened by the automatic door opening module 352.

[0222] Meanwhile, as shown in the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12b, when viewed from above, the discharge port 833 is disposed obliquely with respect to the front surface of the tub 20 so as to face toward the central inside of the tub 20. Thereby, the airflow discharged from the discharge port 833 can be emitted so as to be directed generally toward both the front surface of the tub 20 and the center of the tub 20, and thus it is possible to provide an effect of optimizing the flow of the airflow by the airflow being evenly dispersed in the washing space 21 of the tub 20.

[0223] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings as examples, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. In addition, even if the effects according to the configuration of the present invention were not explicitly written while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects that can be predicted by the configuration should also be recognized.

Examples

first embodiment

[0184]In this regard, according to the present invention, each of the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 and the suction port 893 of the suction guide 89 may be continuously formed across its right side surface facing the right side surface 27 of the bottom tub 20c, and its rear surface.

[0185]That is, since the discharge guide 83 is disposed very close to the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20c, the discharge port 833 of the discharge guide 83 is in a state of being opened toward a wide space between the discharge guide 83 and the suction guide 89.

[0186]Thereby, high-temperature airflow having passed through the heater part 81 can be discharged toward the wide space formed in the right side of the discharge guide 83, rather than toward a narrow space formed between the left side surface 26 of the bottom tub 20 and the discharge guide 83, and through this, the high-temperature airflow can immediately rise toward the inside of the washing space 21 and be evenly disper...

third embodiment

[0222]Meanwhile, as shown in the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12b, when viewed from above, the discharge port 833 is disposed obliquely with respect to the front surface of the tub 20 so as to face toward the central inside of the tub 20. Thereby, the airflow discharged from the discharge port 833 can be emitted so as to be directed generally toward both the front surface of the tub 20 and the center of the tub 20, and thus it is possible to provide an effect of optimizing the flow of the airflow by the airflow being evenly dispersed in the washing space 21 of the tub 20.

Claims

1. A dishwasher comprising:a tub inside which a washing space is formed to have an open front surface;a base disposed below the tub and supporting the tub; anda drying air supply part disposed between the tub and the base, sucking air from the tub, heating and supplying the air to the tub,wherein an exhaust hole through which the air is discharged from the washing space toward the drying air supply part, and a supply hole through which the air is supplied from the drying air supply part toward the washing space are formed in a lower surface of the tub.

2. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the exhaust hole is disposed closer to a right side surface of the tub than to a left side surface of the tub, based on a left and right direction, andwherein the supply hole is disposed closer to the left side surface of the tub than to the right side surface of the tub, based on a left and right direction.

3. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the exhaust hole and the supply hole are disposed closer to a rear surface of the tub than to a front surface of the tub, based on a front and rear direction.

4. The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising:a sump disposed between the tub and the base, and storing washing water to be supplied to the washing space,wherein a sump hole to which the sump is coupled is formed in the lower surface of the tub, andwherein the exhaust hole and the supply hole are formed in a further rear side than the sump hole.

5. The dishwasher of claim 4, wherein the exhaust hole and the supply hole are disposed closer to a rear surface of the tub than the sump hole.

6. The dishwasher of claim 4, wherein a front and rear direction distance from the exhaust hole to the sump hole and a front and rear direction distance from the supply hole to the sump hole are equal to each other.

7. The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the drying air supply part includes:a suction guide disposed above the exhaust hole and having a suction port through which the air is introduced from the washing space;a blowing part accelerating the air having passed through the suction port to generate an airflow;a heater part heating the air having passed through the blowing part; anda discharge guide disposed above the supply hole and having a discharge port through which the air having passed through the heater part is discharged into the washing space.

8. The dishwasher of claim 7, wherein the suction port and the discharge port are respectively opened toward the right side surface of the tub.

9. The dishwasher of claim 8, wherein the suction port and the discharge port are respectively opened toward a rear surface of the tub.

10. The dishwasher of claim 7, wherein a cross-sectional area of the suction port and a cross-sectional area of the discharge port are equal to each other.

11. The dishwasher of claim 7, wherein an up and down direction distance between the lower surface of the tub and the suction port, and an up and down direction distance between the lower surface of the tub and the discharge port are equal to each other.

12. The dishwasher of claim 7, wherein a front and rear direction distance between a front surface of the tub and the suction port, and a front and rear direction distance between the front surface of the tub and the discharge port are equal to each other.

13. The dishwasher of claim 7, wherein the drying air supply part further includes:a suction duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the exhaust hole and another end communicating with the blowing part; anda supply duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the supply hole and another end communicating with the heater part, andwherein the suction guide and the discharge guide are respectively coupled to the one end of the suction duct part and the one end of the supply duct part in an interchangeable manner.

14. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the drying air supply part includes:a blowing part accelerating the air having passed through the exhaust hole to generate an airflow;a heater part heating the air having passed through the blowing part;a suction duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the exhaust hole and another end communicating with the blowing part; anda supply duct part having one end extending toward the washing space through the supply hole and another end communicating with the heater part,wherein washing water introduced into the suction duct from the washing space and condensate generated inside the suction duct are moved by gravity toward the heater part through the suction duct and the blowing part, andwherein an internal bottom surface of the suction duct part includes a first inclined surface whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as the internal bottom surface of the suction duct part progresses toward the blowing part.

15. The control method of claim 14, wherein the blowing part includes:a blowing fan being rotated to accelerate the air; anda fan housing rotatably accommodating the blowing fan,wherein an internal bottom surface of the fan housing includes a second inclined surface whose up and down direction height gradually decreases as the second inclined surface progresses toward the heater part, andwherein the second inclined surface is formed at a position lower, based on an up and down direction, than the first inclined surface.

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