Patent Application
20190282059
The present disclosure relates generally to dishwasher appliances, and more particularly to improved spray assemblies and nozzles for dishwasher appliances.
Dishwasher appliances generally include a tub that defines a wash chamber. Rack assemblies can be mounted within the wash chamber of the tub for receipt of articles for washing. Wash fluid (e.g., various combinations of water and detergent along with optional additives) may be introduced into the tub where it collects in a sump space at the bottom of the wash chamber. During wash and rinse cycles, a pump may be used to circulate wash fluid to spray assemblies within the wash chamber that can apply or direct wash fluid towards articles disposed within the rack assemblies in order to clean such articles.
To improve spray coverage, multiple spray arm assemblies can be provided including e.g., a lower spray arm assembly mounted to the tub at a bottom of the wash chamber, a mid-level spray arm assembly mounted to one of the rack assemblies, and/or an upper spray assembly mounted to the tub at a top of the wash chamber. One limitation of many currently known spray arm assemblies is the geometry of the spray arm assemblies and their fixed nozzle positions and orientations. For example, rotating spray arms typically have multiple nozzles positioned along a length of the spray arm. As the spray arm rotates, each nozzle emits wash fluid from a fixed location and direction relative to the arm, generating a predictable and limited circular spray pattern having gaps in spray coverage. These limitations can result in articles not being properly cleaned during operation of the dishwasher appliance.
Spray coverage gaps can be decreased by using more nozzles or by shaping the nozzles as slots to generate a broader spray from each nozzle. However, such nozzle adjustments will result in decreased impingement force unless the hydraulic power is increased. Increasing the hydraulic power results in noisier operation and increased energy consumption. Moreover, increasing the number of nozzles or the spray coverage area of the nozzles increases overall energy and water consumption.
Accordingly, a dishwasher appliance that including improved spray assemblies would be useful. More specifically, improved spray assembly and nozzle designs which increase the coverage of the wash fluid while reducing the noise and energy consumption of a dishwasher appliance would be particularly beneficial.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a dishwasher appliance defining a vertical, a lateral, and a transverse direction is provided. The dishwasher appliance includes a wash tub that defines a wash chamber and a wash rack mounted within the wash chamber, the wash rack being configured for receiving articles for washing. A fluid circulation assembly provides a flow of wash fluid for cleaning articles placed within the wash chamber. A spray nozzle includes a housing defining a spray chamber in fluid communication with the fluid circulation assembly, the housing defining a discharge orifice. A diversion element is positioned within the spray chamber, the diversion element defining a plurality of flow paths and being movable between a lowered position and a raised position, at least one of the plurality of flow paths directing the flow of wash fluid through the discharge orifice when the diversion element is in the raised position.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a spray nozzle for a dishwasher appliance is provided. The dishwasher appliance includes a fluid circulation assembly for selectively urging a flow of wash fluid. The spray nozzle includes a housing defining a spray chamber in fluid communication with the fluid circulation assembly, the housing defining a discharge orifice. A diversion element is positioned within the spray chamber, the diversion element defining a plurality of flow paths and being movable between a lowered position and a raised position, at least one of the plurality of flow paths directing the flow of wash fluid through the discharge orifice when the diversion element is in the raised position.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention 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 of the present invention, 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.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
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.
As used herein, the term “article” may refer to, but need not be limited to dishes, pots, pans, silverware, and other cooking utensils and items that can be cleaned in a dishwashing appliance. The term “wash cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during which a dishwashing appliance operates while containing the articles to be washed and uses a detergent and water, preferably with agitation, to e.g., remove soil particles including food and other undesirable elements from the articles. The term “rinse cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during which the dishwashing appliance operates to remove residual soil, detergents, and other undesirable elements that were retained by the articles after completion of the wash cycle. The term “drain cycle” is intended to refer to one or more periods of time during which the dishwashing appliance operates to discharge soiled water from the dishwashing appliance. The term “wash fluid” refers to a liquid used for washing and/or rinsing the articles and is typically made up of water that may include other additives such as detergent or other treatments. Furthermore, as used herein, terms of approximation, such as “approximately,” “substantially,” or “about,” refer to being within a ten percent margin of error.
The tub 104 includes a front opening 114 and a door 116 hinged at its bottom for movement between a normally closed vertical position (shown in
As best illustrated in
Some or all of the rack assemblies 120, 122, 124 are fabricated into lattice structures including a plurality of wires or elongated members 132 (for clarity of illustration, not all elongated members making up rack assemblies 120, 122, 124 are shown in
Dishwasher 100 further includes a plurality of spray assemblies for urging a flow of water or wash fluid onto the articles placed within wash chamber 106. More specifically, as illustrated in
The various spray assemblies and manifolds described herein may be part of a fluid distribution system or fluid circulation assembly 150 for circulating water and wash fluid in the tub 104. More specifically, fluid circulation assembly 150 includes a pump 152 for circulating water and wash fluid (e.g., detergent, water, and/or rinse aid) in the tub 104. Pump 152 may be located within sump 138 or within a machinery compartment located below sump 138 of tub 104, as generally recognized in the art. Fluid circulation assembly 150 may include one or more fluid conduits or circulation piping for directing water and/or wash fluid from pump 152 to the various spray assemblies and manifolds. For example, as illustrated in
As illustrated, primary supply conduit 154 is used to supply wash fluid to one or more spray assemblies, e.g., to mid-level spray arm assembly 140 and upper spray assembly 142. However, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, any other suitable plumbing configuration may be used to supply wash fluid throughout the various spray manifolds and assemblies described herein. For example, according to another exemplary embodiment, primary supply conduit 154 could be used to provide wash fluid to mid-level spray arm assembly 140 and a dedicated secondary supply conduit (not shown) could be utilized to provide wash fluid to upper spray assembly 142. Other plumbing configurations may be used for providing wash fluid to the various spray devices and manifolds at any location within dishwasher appliance 100.
Each spray arm assembly 134, 140, 142, integral spray manifold 144, or other spray device may include an arrangement of discharge ports or orifices for directing wash fluid received from pump 152 onto dishes or other articles located in wash chamber 106. The arrangement of the discharge ports, also referred to as jets, apertures, or orifices, may provide a rotational force by virtue of wash fluid flowing through the discharge ports. Alternatively, spray arm assemblies 134, 140, 142 may be motor-driven, or may operate using any other suitable drive mechanism. Spray manifolds and assemblies may also be stationary. The resultant movement of the spray arm assemblies 134, 140, 142 and the spray from fixed manifolds provides coverage of dishes and other dishwasher contents with a washing spray. Other configurations of spray assemblies may be used as well. For example, dishwasher 100 may have additional spray assemblies for cleaning silverware, for scouring casserole dishes, for spraying pots and pans, for cleaning bottles, etc. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments discussed herein are used for the purpose of explanation only, and are not limitations of the present subject matter.
In operation, pump 152 draws wash fluid in from sump 138 and pumps it to a diverter assembly 156, e.g., which is positioned within sump 138 of dishwasher appliance. Diverter assembly 156 may include a diverter disk (not shown) disposed within a diverter chamber 158 for selectively distributing the wash fluid to the spray arm assemblies 134, 140, 142 and/or other spray manifolds or devices. For example, the diverter disk may have a plurality of apertures that are configured to align with one or more outlet ports (not shown) at the top of diverter chamber 158. In this manner, the diverter disk may be selectively rotated to provide wash fluid to the desired spray device.
According to an exemplary embodiment, diverter assembly 156 is configured for selectively distributing the flow of wash fluid from pump 152 to various fluid supply conduits, only some of which are illustrated in
The dishwasher 100 is further equipped with a controller 160 to regulate operation of the dishwasher 100. The controller 160 may include one or more memory devices and one or more microprocessors, such as general or special purpose microprocessors 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. Alternatively, controller 160 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software.
The controller 160 may be positioned in a variety of locations throughout dishwasher 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the controller 160 may be located within a control panel area 162 of door 116 as shown in
It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to any particular style, model, or configuration of dishwasher 100. The exemplary embodiment depicted in
Referring now generally to
Referring specifically to
Referring now specifically to
Thus, the flow of wash fluid is received through the single chamber inlet 220 and flows through spray chamber 212 to the single discharge orifice 214 which is configured for discharging and directing the flow of wash fluid onto articles to be cleaned. Continuing the example described with respect to
Diversion element 230 generally defines a plurality of flow paths 232 and is movable between a lowered position (not shown) and a raised position (
Referring briefly to
Although only two circumferentially extending recesses 234 are illustrated herein, it should be appreciated that any suitable number, size, and direction of recesses 234 made be defined according to alternative embodiments. In this manner, as best shown in
Referring briefly to
It should be appreciated that any suitable number, size, and direction of internal passageways 240 may be defined according to alternative embodiments. In this manner, when diversion element 230 is urged towards the raised position, one or more of internal passageways 240 provide a flow path from spray chamber 212 through discharge orifice 214. Notably, as explained above, the direction and orientation of internal passageways 240 opening through discharge orifice 214 changes every time diversion element 230 is seated, thereby creating a unique and improved spray pattern.
Notably, in order to facilitate the movement of diversion element 230 within spray chamber 212, diversion element 230 must generally have smaller dimensions than spray chamber 212, e.g., to prevent binding as diversion element 230 moves between the lowered and raised position. Therefore, according to the exemplary illustrated embodiment, spray chamber 212 defines a chamber width 250 and diversion element 230 defines an element diameter 252. According to the illustrated embodiment, chamber width 250 is greater than element diameter 252. Moreover, as best illustrated in
In addition, according to the illustrated embodiment spray chamber 212 defines a chamber height 256. According to an exemplary embodiment, chamber height 256 is greater than element diameter 252 of diversion element 230. According to the illustrated embodiment, chamber height 256 is greater than or equal to two times element diameter 252, although other dimensional differences are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter. In this manner, diversion element 230 may move about freely within spray chamber 212. Notably, however, by tapering side walls 254, diversion element 230 may be consistently seated over discharge orifice 214 when moved toward the raised position.
Notably, it is important that diversion element 230 is retained within spray chamber 212 throughout operation of spray nozzle 200. Therefore, spray nozzle 200 may include various features for retaining diversion element 230 within spray chamber 212. For example, according to the illustrated embodiment, diversion element 230 is substantially spherical and has element diameter 252. Thus, according to an exemplary embodiment, chamber inlet 220 may define an inlet diameter 260 that is smaller than element diameter 252 such that diversion element 230 may not fall out of spray nozzle 200, e.g., back into distribution conduit 206. Similarly, discharge orifice 214 may define an orifice diameter 262 which is also smaller than element diameter 252.
According still another embodiment, spray nozzle 200 may include a retention element 270 that is positioned within spray chamber 212 below diversion element 230 for retaining diversion element 230 within spray chamber 212. In general, retention element 270 may be any feature or component that extends into spray chamber 212 and that permits the flow of wash fluid while restricting diversion element 230 from moving below retention element 270. For example, according to the illustrated embodiment, retention element 270 is a five-armed cross member positioned over chamber inlet 220. However, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, retention element 270 may be a single cross bar within spray chamber 212, a mesh screen, or any other suitable retaining feature.
Although chamber inlet 220 and discharge orifice 214 are illustrated and described herein as having a substantially circular cross section, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, chamber inlet 220 and discharge orifice 214 may have any other suitable size and shape. For example, discharge orifice 214 could instead be an elongated slot defined in upper housing 218. Similarly, although diversion element 230 is illustrated as being substantially spherical, it could have any other suitable shape, size, and flow paths 232 according to alternative embodiments. The exemplary embodiment of spray nozzle 200 described herein is not intended to limit the scope of the present subject matter.
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 language of the claims.
