Dishwasher with filter assembly

• US 9,107,559 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Tuller, Barry E., Welch, Rodney M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): OSTERHOUT, BENJAMIN LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/108,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20120291822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 134/10, 134/110, 134/111
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 15/0039 Filter cleaning phases
• 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 15/4225 Arrangements or adaption of recirculation or discharge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/03 Water recirculation, e.g. control of distributing valves for redirection of water flow
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2501/05 Drain or recirculation pump, e.g. regulation of the pump rotational speed or flow direction

Abstract

A dishwasher with a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber, a liquid spraying system, a liquid recirculation system defining a recirculation flow path, and a liquid filtering system. The liquid filtering system includes a filter disposed in the recirculation flow path to filter the liquid.

Claims

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

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

a sump fluidly coupled to the tub and collecting liquid supplied to the tub;

a recirculation pump comprising an impeller having an inlet fluidly coupled to the sump and an outlet fluidly coupled to the tub to recirculate liquid from the sump to the treating chamber;

a filter having an upstream surface and a downstream surface, and fluidly separating the sump and the outlet; and

at least one flow diverter rotating about the upstream surface or the downstream surface;

wherein liquid in the tub collects in the sump and is recirculated by actuating the recirculation pump such that the liquid in the sump is drawn through the filter and is expelled through the outlet to the tub and the rotation of the flow diverter generates a shear force acting on the upstream surface or the downstream surface to effect a cleaning of the upstream surface or the downstream surface.

2. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the at least one flow diverter is selectively coupled with the impeller such that the impeller effects the rotation of the at least one flow diverter.

3. The dishwasher of claim 2, further comprising a speed adjuster operably coupling the impeller to the at least one flow diverter rotating about the downstream surface to rotate the at least one flow diverter at a speed different than the impeller.

4. The dishwasher of claim 3 wherein the speed adjuster comprises a speed reducer to rotate the at least one flow diverter at a slower speed than the impeller.

5. The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a motor operably coupled to the at least one flow diverter to rotate the at least one flow diverter.

6. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the filter is rotationally fixed.

7. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the at least one flow diverter has a circular cross section.

8. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the at least one flow diverter has an airfoil cross section.

9. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the sump and cylindrical filter have a vertical orientation.

10. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the filter is cylindrical.

11. The dishwasher of claim 10 wherein the at least one flow diverter comprises at least two flow diverters.

12. The dishwasher of claim 11 wherein the at least two flow diverters are arranged relative to each other to be diametrically opposite relative to the cylindrical filter.

13. The dishwasher of claim 12 wherein at least one of the at least two flow diverters is adjacent the downstream surface.

14. The dishwasher of claim 12 wherein at least one of the at least two flow diverters is adjacent the upstream surface.

15. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the filter is hollow.

16. The dishwasher of claim 15 wherein the at least one flow diverter comprises four flow diverters.

17. The dishwasher of claim 16 wherein two flow diverters rotate about the downstream surface and two flow diverters rotate about the upstream surface.

18. The dishwasher of claim 17 wherein the flow diverters are arranged in pairs comprising one of the flow diverters rotating about the downstream surface and one of the flow diverters rotating about the upstream surface.

19. The dishwasher of claim 18 wherein the flow diverters of each pair have a fixed rotational relationship.

20. The dishwasher of claim 19 wherein the flow diverters of each pair are rotationally spaced from each other.

21. The dishwasher of claim 17 wherein the flow diverters rotating about the downstream surface are diametrically opposite each other and the two diverters rotating about the upstream surface are diametrically opposite each other.

22. A dishwasher for treating utensils according to a cycle of operation, comprising:

a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber;

a liquid spraying system supplying a spray of liquid to the treating chamber;

a liquid recirculation system recirculating the sprayed liquid from the treating chamber to the liquid spraying system to define a recirculation flow path;

a filter having an upstream surface and a downstream surface and located within the recirculation flow path such that the sprayed liquid passes through the filter from the upstream surface to the downstream surface to effect a filtering of the sprayed liquid; and

a first artificial boundary moving over at least a portion of the downstream surface or the upstream surface to form an increased shear force zone therebetween;

wherein liquid passing between the first artificial boundary and the filter applies a greater shear force on the downstream surface or the upstream surface than liquid in an absence of the first artificial boundary.

23. The dishwasher of claim 22 wherein the filter is fixed relative to the recirculation flow path.

24. The dishwasher of claim 22 wherein the filter is cylindrical.

25. The dishwasher of claim 22 wherein the artificial boundary rotates about one of the downstream and upstream surfaces of the filter to define an elliptical path.

26. The dishwasher of claim 25, further comprising at least a second artificial boundary.

27. The dishwasher of claim 26 wherein the first and second artificial boundaries are arranged relative to each other such that they are diametrically opposite on the elliptical path.

28. The dishwasher of claim 27 wherein the first artificial boundary is adjacent the downstream surface and the second artificial boundary is adjacent the upstream surface.

29. The dishwasher of claim 26 wherein the first artificial boundary has a fixed rotational relationship with respect to the second artificial boundary.

30. The dishwasher of claim 29 wherein the fixed rotational relationship is such that the rotation of the first and second artificial boundaries is matched.

31. The dishwasher of claim 22 wherein the first artificial boundary has a circular cross section.

32. The dishwasher of claim 22, further comprising a motor operably coupled to the first artificial boundary to effect the movement of the first artificial boundary.

33. The dishwasher of claim 22 wherein the filter has a vertical orientation.