Filter with artificial boundary for a dishwashing machine

• US 10,178,939 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2017
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Tuller, Barry E., Welch, Rodney M., Welsh, Anthony B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shahinian, Levon J
• Application Number:
  US15/692,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20170360273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 134 56 D, 134 57 D, 134 58 D, 134110, 134111
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4206 Tubular filters
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4208 Arrangements to prevent clogging of the filters, e.g. self-cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4219 Water recirculation A47L15/0078 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4225 Arrangements or adaption of recirculation or discharge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/6476 with a rotary movement with respect to the filtering element

Abstract

A liquid filtering system for a dishwasher, having a housing defining a filter chamber and configured to be fluidly coupled to a recirculation flow path of the dishwasher, a filter located within the filter chamber and having a first end axially spaced from a second end and defining a filter there between that has a first surface and a second surface, the filter being positioned within the recirculation flow path to filter soils from liquid flowing through the recirculation flow path as the liquid passes through the filter and a flow diverter to aid in cleaning the filter.

Claims

1. A liquid filtering system for a dishwasher, the liquid filtering system comprising:

a housing defining an enclosed filter chamber and configured to be fluidly coupled to a recirculation flow path of the dishwasher;

a filter located within the housing and having a first end axially spaced from a second end and defining an enclosed hollow interior there between, the filter having a first surface and a second surface, the filter being positioned within the recirculation flow path to filter soils from liquid flowing through the recirculation flow path as the liquid passes through the filter from the first surface to the second surface and where the filter fluidly divides the filter chamber into a first part that contains filtered soil particles and a second part that excludes filtered soil particles; and

a flow diverter spaced apart from one of the first surface or the second surface to define a gap through which at least some of the liquid passes as the liquid flows through the recirculation flow path and where the flow diverter is shaped such that it includes multiple segmented portions extending along at least a portion of a length of the filter;

wherein during recirculation the filter chamber is configured to be filled with liquid and at least one of the filter or the flow diverter are configured to rotate within the housing and rotation of the at least one of the filter or the flow diverter is configured to create a rotational flow of unfiltered liquid within the filter chamber about the first surface to create an increase in angular velocity of the liquid in an increased shear force zone between the flow diverter and the first surface of the filter such that liquid passing between the flow diverter and the filter applies a greater shear force on the at least one of the first surface or second surface than liquid in an absence of the flow diverter.

2. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein at least two of the multiple segmented portions are spaced from each other.

3. The liquid filtering system of claim 2 wherein the at least two of the multiple segmented portions are spaced along the length of the filter.

4. The liquid filtering system of claim 2 wherein the filter is one of cylinder-shaped or cone-shaped.

5. The liquid filtering system of claim 2 wherein the at least two of the multiple segmented portions are spaced axially about the filter.

6. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein the flow diverter is spaced between the first surface and the housing.

7. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein the multiple segmented portions form a generally helical shape.

8. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein at least two of the multiple segmented portions overlap.

9. The liquid filtering system of claim 8 wherein the at least two of the multiple segmented portions overlap along the length of the filter.

10. The liquid filtering system of claim 8 wherein the filter is one of cylinder-shaped or cone-shaped.

11. The liquid filtering system of claim 10 wherein the at least two of the multiple segmented portions overlap axially about the filter.

12. The liquid filtering system of claim 8 wherein the multiple segmented portions extend along substantially an entire length of the filter.

13. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein the second end of the filter is larger in diameter than the first end such that the filter defined there between is cone-shaped.

14. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein the flow diverter generates a soil flow along the at least a portion of the length of the filter from a first end of the multiple segmented portions to a second end of the multiple segmented portions.

15. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein the housing is remote from a tub of the dishwasher.

16. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein the flow diverter is fixed.

17. The liquid filtering system of claim 1, further comprising a second flow diverter overlying and spaced from an other of the first surface or the second surface to define a gap through which at least some of the liquid passes as the liquid flows through the recirculation flow path.

18. The liquid filtering system of claim 17 wherein the second flow diverter includes multiple segmented portions extending along at least a portion of the length of the filter.

19. The liquid filtering system of claim 17 wherein the filter is one of cylinder-shaped or cone-shaped.

20. The liquid filtering system of claim 1 wherein the multiple segmented portions form a generally linear shape.