Patent Application
20120285496
The present disclosure relates to a dishwasher appliance having a spray assembly.
This disclosure relates to dishwashing machines of the type used in households and commercial settings having upper and lower racks within which are arranged articles to be washed. Ordinarily the lower rack is loaded with larger size plates, pots and pans, and the like, and the upper rack is particularly designed to carry the smaller dishes, cups and glassware. Such dishwashing machines normally have one or more spray arms which rotate on a horizontal plane having orifices or jet holes which spray the washing and rinsing liquid upwardly and or downwardly against the dishes in the racks thereabove or therebelow depending on the location of the arm itself. One or more of these orifices or jet holes may be positioned so that the water streams issuing therefrom cause the spray arm itself to rotate thereby achieving maximum coverage of the dishes by the washing liquid.
One of the problems associated with present spray arms, and associated water jets, is that they typically have issues with balancing coverage. Present spray arms, and associated water jets, can also have issues with mechanical wash action.
The utilization of multiple spray arm assemblies seeks to address these issues. However, multiple spray arm assemblies can increase system complexity. In addition, multiple spray arm assemblies can cause higher system flow loss due to multiple joint leakages and can also result in increases to overall system volume.
Accordingly, a single spray arm assembly that has increased coverage with better mechanical action as well as better coverage balance would be useful. A spray arm assembly having multiple, separate spray paths within a single spray arm assembly would be particularly useful.
Aspects and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the disclosure.
In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a spray assembly for an automatic dishwasher is described. The spray assembly includes a conduit for receiving pressurized washing liquid. The spray assembly further includes a spray body having two or more spray arms. Each spray arm has a plurality of orifices for distributing washing liquid throughout the dishwasher. The spray arms share a common central axis with one another. The spray arms each define a separate fluid path from the conduit to the orifices that is separated from the other fluid path(s) by one or more walls.
In still other embodiments of the present disclosure, an automatic dishwasher is described. The automatic dishwasher has a tub for receiving articles to be washed and a spray assembly for distributing washing liquid in the interior of the tub. The spray assembly includes a conduit for receiving pressurized washing liquid. The spray assembly further includes a spray body having two or more spray arms. Each spray arm has a plurality of orifices for distributing washing liquid throughout the dishwasher. The spray arms share a common central axis with one another. The spray arms each define a separate fluid path from the conduit to the orifices that is separated from the other fluid path(s) by one or more walls.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:
The present disclosure relates to a dishwasher appliance having a spray arm assembly that can provide balanced coverage and mechanical wash action. The spray arm assembly includes a conduit for receiving pressurized washing liquid and a spray body having two or more spray arms which each define separate fluid paths. Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Upper and lower guide rails 124, 126 are mounted on tub side walls 128 and accommodate upper and lower roller-equipped rack assemblies 130, 132, respectively. Each of the upper and lower racks 130, 132 is fabricated into lattice structures including a plurality of elongated members 134. Each rack 130, 132 is adapted for movement between an extended loading position (not shown) in which the rack is substantially positioned outside the wash chamber 106, and a retracted position (shown in
The dishwasher 100 is further equipped with a controller (not shown) to regulate operation of the dishwasher 100. The controller may include a memory and microprocessor, such as a general or special purpose microprocessor operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with a cleaning cycle. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor.
The controller may be positioned in a variety of locations throughout dishwasher 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller may be located within a control panel area 121 of door 120 as shown. In such an embodiment, input/output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between the control system and various operational components of dishwasher 100 along wiring harnesses that may be routed through the bottom 122 of door 120. Typically, the controller includes a user interface panel 136 through which a user may select various operational features and modes and monitor progress of the dishwasher 100. In one embodiment, the user interface 136 may represent a general purpose I/O (“GPIO”) device or functional block. In one embodiment, the user interface 136 may include input components, such as one or more of a variety of electrical, mechanical or electro-mechanical input devices including rotary dials, push buttons, and touch pads. The user interface 136 may include a display component, such as a digital or analog display device designed to provide operational feedback to a user. The user interface 136 may be in communication with the controller via one or more signal lines or shared communication busses.
The dishwasher 100 further includes a lower spray-arm assembly 144 that can be rotatably mounted within a lower region 146 of the wash chamber 106 and above a tub sump portion 142 so as to rotate in relatively close proximity to the lower rack 132. A mid-level spray-arm assembly 148 is located in an upper region of the wash chamber 106 and may be located in close proximity to upper rack 130. Additionally, an upper spray arm assembly (not shown) may be located above the upper rack 130.
The lower and mid-level spray-arm assemblies 144, 148 and the upper spray arm assembly are fed by a fluid circulation assembly for circulating water and dishwasher fluid in the tub 104. The fluid circulation assembly may be located in a machinery compartment 140 located below the bottom sump portion 142 of the tub 104, as generally recognized in the art. Each spray-arm assembly includes an arrangement of discharge ports or orifices for directing washing liquid onto dishes or other articles located in the upper and lower racks 130, 132, respectively. The arrangement of the discharge ports in at least the lower spray-arm assembly 144 can provide a rotational force by virtue of washing fluid flowing through the discharge ports. The resultant rotation of the lower spray-arm assembly 144 provides coverage of dishes and other dishwasher contents with a washing spray. Certain embodiments of the lower spray-arm assembly 144, mid-level spray arm assembly 148, and upper spray arm assembly in accordance with the present disclosure will now be further detailed. In particular, the spray arm assemblies described herein can provide balanced coverage and mechanical wash action.
Referring to
As illustrated, spray arms 206, 208 are generally elongated and include top surfaces 210 and 212, respectively, and bottom surfaces 214 and 216, respectively. Each spray arm extends across central axis 218 and, as illustrated, can be include two generally symmetrical ends portions. Each spray arm is mated into singular spray body 200 at a common central axis 218 and is generally planar with the other spray arm(s). In this regard, generally planar refers to any degree of curvature or angle between the respective spray arms which still allows such spray arms to rotate properly within a dishwasher. Similarly, each spray arm has a length and width of suitable size to be properly accommodated by a dishwasher as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, each of the spray arms can have different sizes and shapes in an effort to gain optimal coverage area in the dishwasher.
Turning to
Generally, pressurized washing liquid flows through one or more inlets of conduit 220 into spray body 200. Each spray arm 206, 208 defines a separate and distinct fluid path 226, 228, respectively, from conduit 220 to one or more orifices 222, 224, respectively. Orifices are distributed along one or both surfaces of each spray arm or one or both end portions and can vary in number at different locations of spray arm. For instance, top portion may have more orifices than bottom portion, or the like, depending in what type of coverage is sought. In addition, orifices can be designed to generate spray in a variety of shapes and sizes as would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. For instance, certain orifices can generate a fan jet (for more coverage) when washing fluid is distributed therefrom while other orifices can generate a pencil jet (for better mechanical wash action) when washing fluid is distributed therefrom. In addition, any other suitable jet including square shaped jets and/or any irregularly shaped jet can be utilized to take advantage of changes in flow rate and/or angle.
Referring to
Conduit 220 supplies arm 206 through primary flow inlet 230 while arm 208 is supplied through secondary flow inlets 232. As illustrated, primary flow inlet 230 is centrally positioned adjacent to central axis while secondary flow inlets 232 are concentrically positioned around primary flow inlet 230. In certain embodiments, primary flow inlet 230 can supply the arm with the highest orifice area while secondary flow inlet can supply the arm with the next highest flow area. Similarly, additional inlets can be added to conduit to supply additional arms as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
The conduit illustrated can also allow for selective diversion of washing liquid. Washing liquid can be selectively fed to one or more inlets to the exclusion of other inlets as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In this manner, washing liquid can be fed to one or more spray arms through their respective fluid paths while being withheld from the separate fluid paths of one or more other spray arms. In certain embodiments, different spray paths (depending on factors including spray arm shape and size and/or orifice shape and size as further described herein) can be utilized to induce different directions of spin for spray body. For example, a first fluid path can cause clockwise rotation of spray body while a second fluid path can cause counter clockwise rotation of the same spray body. Alternatively, or in conjunction with other embodiments described herein, orifices on each spray arm can be angled differently to gain optimal coverage or different size and/or shaped orifices can be utilized for different fluid paths to address the issue of varied loading patterns in a dishwasher.
Mating two or more fluid paths into a singular spray body can address the issues of balancing coverage and mechanical wash action. In certain embodiments, the spray assembly of the present disclosure can eliminate the need for the upper spray arm assembly described previously.
It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to any particular style, model, or other configuration of dishwasher, and that the embodiments depicted in the
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
