Dishwasher with sprayer

• US 10,602,907 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2018
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Feddema, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lorenzi, Marc
• Application Number:
  US16/043,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20180325352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/23 moved by means of the sprays
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/4282 Arrangements to change or modify spray pattern or direction

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 and at least one outlet extending from an interior to an exterior of the sprayer and in fluid communication with the liquid passage. A membrane may have at least one opening and may be in fluid communication with the liquid passage to control the flow of liquid through the at least one outlet.

Claims

1. A dishwasher for treating utensils according to an automatic cycle of operation, comprising:

a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber for receiving utensils for treatment according to the automatic cycle of operation;

a rotatable sprayer for spraying liquid into the treating chamber and having a body with an exterior and an inner surface defining an interior wherein the interior forms at least a portion of a liquid passage and at least one outlet that extends from the interior to the exterior;

a slidable valve body located within the interior, adjacent the inner surface having the at least one outlet, the slidable valve body including a flexible membrane having at least one opening and a frame supportingly coupled to at least a portion of the flexible membrane, and the flexible membrane conforms to a shape of the inner surface of the rotatable sprayer such that the flexible membrane is configured to sealingly abut the inner surface of the rotatable sprayer to form a liquid seal between the rotatable sprayer and the flexible membrane; and

a driver system coupling the rotatable sprayer to the frame;

wherein, during use, rotation of the rotatable sprayer acts as an input to the driver system, which in turn drives the flexible membrane relative to the rotatable sprayer such that the slidable valve body is moved between a first position wherein the flexible membrane blocks a fluid coupling of the at least one outlet and the interior, and a second position wherein the at least one outlet is fluidly coupled with the interior via the at least one opening to provide for a flow of liquid from the interior through the at least one opening and through the at least one outlet to emit a spray of liquid from the rotatable sprayer into the treating chamber.

2. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the flexible membrane includes a polyester film.

3. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the driver system converts rotational motion of the rotatable sprayer into a lateral motion of the frame.

4. The dishwasher of claim 3, wherein the driver system comprises a reciprocating driver that relatively laterally reciprocates the flexible membrane within the rotatable sprayer.

5. The dishwasher of claim 4, wherein the rotatable sprayer is a rotatable spray arm.

6. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the driver system comprises a rotating driver that relatively rotates the flexible membrane within the rotatable sprayer.

7. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the rotatable sprayer comprises multiple outlets and the first position selectively aligns the at least one opening between at least two of the multiple outlets.

8. The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the rotatable sprayer comprises multiple outlets, and the flexible membrane includes multiple openings and is elongated and attached to the frame at two opposing ends of the flexible membrane.

9. The dishwasher of claim 8, wherein the first position selectively fluidly couples a first subset of the multiple outlets with the interior, and the second position selectively fluidly couples a second subset of the multiple outlets with the interior, the second subset being different than the first subset.

10. The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a second flexible membrane, wherein the frame includes two open portions and the flexible membrane is mounted in a first of the two open portions and the second flexible membrane is mounted in a second of the two open portions.