Washing machine fill control system

• US 5,669,250 A
• Filed: 09/23/1996
• Issued: 09/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Badami, Vivek Venugopal, Dausch, Mark Edward, Jenkins, Harold John Jr., Whipple, Walter III
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Application Number:
  US08/717,593
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 68/12.02, 68/12.04, 68/12.05, 68/12.19, 68/12.21, 68/23.5, 68/207
• US Class Current: 68/12.02
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/04 Quantity, e.g. weight or variation of weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 2103/18 Washing liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 34/18 Condition of the laundry, e.g. nature or weight
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 39/088 Liquid supply arrangements

Abstract

An energy efficient washing machine includes a cleansing fluid supply system, a washer basket having an agitator device for displacing the articles to be cleansed within the basket, and a closed loop water level controller coupled to the cleansing fluid supply system and to the drive system for the agitator. The fluid supply system includes a fill nozzle designed to provide a clothes-positioning spray pattern that serves to maintain the articles evenly distributed in the basket to enables the load sensing systems of the closed loop adaptive water level controller to function to accurately provide the optimal water level for cleansing. To accomplish this positioning of the articles to be cleansed, the fluid fill nozzle typically provides a fan discharge of fluid passing therethrough and is disposed at a cant angle with respect to the direction of rotation of the basket such that the fan discharge covers an area between the agitator assembly and the sidewall of the basket.

Claims

1. A washing machine for cleansing articles in a cleansing fluid, the machine comprising:

a rotatable basket adapted to receive the articles to be cleansed, a rotatable agitator device further being disposed within said basket to effect movement of cleansing fluid and articles within said basket;

a drive system coupled to respectively drive said rotatable basket and said agitator device;

a cleansing fluid supply system disposed to provide said cleansing fluid to said basket in a clothes-positioning spray pattern; and

a closed loop water level controller responsive to the load of articles disposed in said basket to be cleansed, said water level controller being coupled to said cleansing fluid supply system and said drive system and adapted to provide an optimal fill level of cleansing fluid in said basket, said controller comprising a washer load determining system adapted to control rotation cycles of said agitator to displace said articles to be cleansed and to process information derived therefrom so as to determine said optimal fill level;

said cleansing fluid supply system further comprising a fluid fill funnel being disposed in a spraydown position with respect to said basket so as to provide said clothes-positioning spray pattern such that the articles in said basket are disposed so as to be displaced by said agitator during agitator rotation cycles to determine the load of said articles in the basket.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said fluid fill funnel comprises a nozzle formed to produce a fan discharge flow of fluid passing therethrough, said nozzle being selected from the group consisting of a flared nozzle having a waterfall-type flow and a spray head having a plurality of spray ports.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein said washing machine comprises a vertical axis washer in which said basket has a rotation direction and said flared nozzle is disposed at a water addition station at a cant angle with respect to the direction of rotation of said basket so as to provide said clothes-positioning spray pattern.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein said cant angle is measured with respect to a tangent line of the basket'"'"'s direction of rotation at said water addition station, said cant angle being within the range between about 10°

and about 30°

.

5. The machine of claim 3 wherein said nozzle is disposed such that a first portion of the fluid passing therethrough in said clothes-positioning spray pattern is directed against a sidewall of said basket in a quadrant of said basket around said water addition station.

6. The machine of claim 5 wherein said nozzle is disposed such that said first portion of said fluid in said clothes-positioning spray is directed along a path such that said first portion of said fluid impinges on the side of said basket at a washdown position, said washdown position being at a position along the length of the sidewall between the midpoint and the top of said basket.

7. The machine of claim 3 wherein said nozzle is disposed such that a second portion of the fluid passing therethrough is directed along a path towards the center of said basket.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein said second portion of said fluid is directed on a path to impinge on portions of said agitator disposed over the bottom of said basket.

16. The machine of claim 1 wherein said drive system is further responsive to said water level controller so as to rotate said basket incrementally during the addition of water to said basket.

9. A vertical axis washing machine comprising:

a rotatable basket adapted to receive the articles to be cleansed, a rotatable agitator device further being disposed within said basket to effect movement of water and articles within said basket;

a drive system coupled to said rotatable basket and said agitator device;

a water supply system disposed to provide water to said basket in a clothes-positioning spray pattern; and

a closed loop water level controller responsive to the load of articles disposed in said basket to be cleansed, said water level controller being coupled to said water supply system and said drive system and adapted to provide an optimal fill level of water in said basket, said controller comprising an initial fill estimation system and a final fill determination system;

said drive system being responsive to said initial fill determination system so as to spin said basket prior to the addition of water to said basket;

said drive system further being responsive to said final fill determination system so as to rotate said agitator in rotation cycles of said agitator following the addition of water to said basket to displace said articles and water in said basket and to process agitator work information generated during said rotation cycles so as to determine said optimal fill level;

said water supply system further comprising a fluid fill funnel being disposed in a spraydown position with respect to said basket so as to provide said clothes-positioning spray pattern such that the water urges the articles in said basket to be distributed across the bottom of said basket.

10. The machine of claim 9 wherein said initial fill determination system comprises an inertia-based load estimation system.

11. The machine of claim 10 wherein said fluid fill funnel is disposed at a water addition station on said washer and oriented to provide a fan discharge flow of water of which at least a portion is directed toward a sidewall of said basket so as to rinse down articles disposed against said sidewall.

12. The machine of claim 11 wherein a portion of said fan discharge flow of water directed toward the sidewall of said basket passes along a path that intersects the sidewall of said basket at a washdown position in the upper half portion of the length of said sidewall between the bottom of the basket and the top of the basket.

13. The machine of claim 9 wherein said final fill determination system comprises an agitator minimum work point signal generator responsive to work expended by said agitator during rotation cycles.

14. The machine of claim 13 wherein said agitator comprises a plurality of vanes coupled to a central column such that rotation of said agitator causes a corresponding angular displacement of said vanes around said basket.

15. The machine of claim 14 wherein said fluid fill funnel is disposed at a water addition station on said washer and oriented to provide a fan discharge flow of water such that water passing therefrom is directed in a substantially evenly spaced pattern between said agitator and the sidewall of said basket.