Dishwasher with sprayer

• US 10,398,283 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Feddema, Mark S., Vanderroest, Chad T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Perrin, Joseph L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Kevin G
• Application Number:
  US15/368,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20170079504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/23 moved by means of the sprays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/428 Rotary nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4282 Arrangements to change or modify spray pattern or direction
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/02 Water discharge, e.g. opening or closure of discharge valve
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/1663 by relative translatory movement of the valve elements B05B1/1672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/3026 the controlling element being a gate valve, a sliding valve or a cock B05B1/3006, B05B1/326 take precedence; gate valves or sliding valves in general F16K3/00; cocks in general F16K5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/14 with oscillating elements; with intermittent operation

Abstract

A dishwasher includes a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber and a sprayer for spraying liquid to the treating chamber. The sprayer may include a liquid passage provided in the interior of the body, at least one upper outlet extending through the upper surface of the body and in fluid communication with the liquid passage, at least one lower outlet extending through the lower surface of the body and in fluid communication with the liquid passage, and a valve body moveable relative to the body to fluidly couple the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage.

Claims

1. A dishwasher for washing dishes according to an automatic cycle of operation, comprising:

a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving dishes for cleaning; and

a spraying system supplying liquid to the treating chamber and having a sprayer comprising;

a rotatable sprayer body mounted within the tub for rotation about an axis and having an upper surface, a lower surface, and an interior;

a liquid passage provided in the interior;

at least one upper outlet extending through the upper surface of the rotatable sprayer body and in fluid communication with the liquid passage;

at least one lower outlet extending through the lower surface of the rotatable sprayer body and in fluid communication with the liquid passage;

a valve body moveable relative to the rotatable sprayer body to selectively fluidly couple the at least one upper outlet to the liquid passage and to selectively fluidly couple the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage where the valve body comprise an upper portion that has at least one opening that aligns with the at least one upper outlet during its movement and a lower portion that has at least one opening that aligns with the at least one lower outlet during its movement; and

a drive mechanism operably coupling the rotatable sprayer body and the valve body and where the drive mechanism is configured to convert rotational motion of the rotatable sprayer body into a lateral motion to laterally reciprocate the valve body with respect to the rotatable sprayer body to selectively fluidly couple the at least one upper outlet to the liquid passage and to selectively fluidly couple the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage

wherein the selectively fluidly coupling of the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage results in emissions of liquid from the upper surface and the lower surface of the sprayer, respectively.

2. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the drive mechanism comprises a gear assembly configured to convert rotational motion of the rotatable sprayer body into a lateral output.

3. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein the drive mechanism further comprises a reciprocating driver that is configured to laterally reciprocate the valve body based upon the lateral output from the gear assembly.

4. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the sprayer comprises a plurality of upper outlets and a plurality of lower outlets.

5. The dishwasher of claim 4 wherein the valve body is configured to selectively fluidly couple a subset of the plurality of upper outlets to the liquid passage and to selectively fluidly couple a subset of the plurality of lower outlets to the liquid passage.

6. The dishwasher of claim 4 wherein the valve body is moveable between a first position in which at least some of the plurality of upper outlets are coupled to the liquid passage and a second position in which at least some of the plurality of lower outlets are coupled to the liquid passage.

7. The dishwasher of claim 6 wherein the valve body fluidly couples the plurality of upper outlets to the liquid passage more frequently than the valve body fluidly couples the plurality of lower outlets to the liquid passage.

8. The dishwasher of claim 6 wherein the valve body is moveable between a first position in which all of the upper outlets are coupled to the liquid passage and a second position in which all of the lower outlets are coupled to the liquid passage.

9. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the valve body is located within the rotatable sprayer body.

10. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the valve body comprises an upper slidable plate that has at least one opening that aligns with the at least one upper outlet and a lower slidable plate that has at least one opening that aligns with the at least one lower outlet.

11. The dishwasher of claim 10 wherein the upper slidable plate includes an upper membrane and the at least one opening is formed in the upper membrane and the lower slidable plate includes a lower membrane and the at least one opening is formed in the lower membrane.

12. The dishwasher of claim 11 wherein the upper slidable plate and the lower slidable plate are operably coupled and move in tandem.

13. The dishwasher of claim 11 wherein each of the upper and lower membranes abut portions of the rotatable sprayer body to form a liquid seal between the portions of the rotatable sprayer body and the liquid passage.

14. A dishwasher for washing dishes according to an automatic cycle of operation, comprising:

a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving dishes for cleaning; and

a spraying system supplying liquid to the treating chamber and having a sprayer comprising;

a rotatable sprayer body mounted within the tub for movement about a rotatable axis and having an upper surface, a lower surface, and an interior;

a liquid passage provided in the interior;

at least one upper outlet extending through the upper surface of the rotatable sprayer body and in fluid communication with the liquid passage;

at least one lower outlet extending through the lower surface of the rotatable sprayer body and in fluid communication with the liquid passage;

a valve body moveable relative to the rotatable sprayer body to selectively fluidly couple the at least one upper outlet to the liquid passage and to selectively fluidly couple the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage where the valve body comprise an upper portion that has at least one opening that aligns with the at least one upper outlet during its movement and a lower portion that has at least one opening that aligns with the at least one lower outlet during its movement; and

a drive system having a gear train assembly that converts rotational motion of the rotatable sprayer body into reciprocal movement of the upper portion and the lower portion;

wherein the upper portion and the lower portion include slidable plates that are operably coupled together such that reciprocal movement of one in turn moves the other.

15. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet are periodically simultaneously coupled to the liquid passage.

16. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the valve body moves relative to the rotatable sprayer body to alternately couple the at least one upper outlet to the liquid passage and the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage.

17. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the sprayer comprises a plurality of upper outlets and a plurality of lower outlets.

18. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the upper slidable plate includes an upper membrane and the at least one opening is formed in the upper membrane and the lower slidable plate includes a lower membrane and the at least one opening is formed in the lower membrane.

19. The dishwasher of claim 18 wherein each of the upper and lower membranes abut portions of the rotatable sprayer body to form a liquid seal between the portions of the rotatable sprayer body and the liquid passage.