Dishwasher with sprayer

• US 9,532,701 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• 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): Barr, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Kevin G
• Application Number:
  US13/782,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20140246060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 134/176, 134/178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 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 alternately fluidly couple the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage where 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

a reciprocating driver that is configured to laterally reciprocate the valve body within the body to alternately fluidly couple the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage;

an actuator comprising a gear assembly that converts rotational motion of the body into sliding motion of the reciprocating driver; and

wherein the alternately fluidly coupling of the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage results in an emission of an alternating from the upper surface and the lower surface of the sprayer.

2. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the sprayer comprises a rotating spray arm.

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

4. The dishwasher of claim 3 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.

5. The dishwasher of claim 4 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.

6. The dishwasher of claim 4 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.

7. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the valve body is located within the body.

8. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the upper slidable plate includes an upper membrane and the at least one opening is formed in the upper membrane.

9. The dishwasher of claim 8 wherein the lower slidable plate includes a lower membrane and the at least one opening is formed in the lower membrane.

10. The dishwasher of claim 9 wherein the upper slidable plate and the lower slidable plate are operably coupled and move in tandem.

11. The dishwasher of claim 9 wherein the upper membrane abuts the upper surface and the lower membrane abuts the lower surface.

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

13. The dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the reciprocating drive is a frame defining a channel that receives a pin operably coupled to a portion of the gear assembly.

14. The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a coupling mechanism operably coupling the lower slidable plate to the upper slidable plate.

15. The dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the actuator provides driving force to the upper slidable plate and the coupling mechanism in turn provides driving force to the lower slidable plate.

16. 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 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 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 comprising 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 and where the valve body is moveable relative to the body to selectively fluidly couple the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet to the liquid passage; and

a drive system having a gear train assembly that converts rotational motion of the body into reciprocal movement of one of the upper slidable plate or the lower slidable plate; and

wherein the upper slidable plate and the lower slidable plate are operably coupled together such that reciprocal movement of the one of the upper slidable plate or the lower slidable plate in turn moves the other of the upper slidable plate or the lower slidable plate and wherein the at least one upper outlet and the at least one lower outlet are periodically simultaneously coupled to the liquid passage.

17. The dishwasher of claim 16 wherein the sprayer comprises a plurality of upper outlets and a plurality of lower outlets.

18. The dishwasher of claim 17 wherein the number of upper outlets exceeds the number of lower outlets.

19. The dishwasher of claim 18 wherein at least some of the upper outlets and some of the lower outlets are simultaneously coupled to the liquid passage.

20. The dishwasher of claim 19 wherein during the simultaneous coupling the valve body fluidly couples more upper outlets to the liquid passage than lower outlets to the liquid passage.

21. The dishwasher of claim 16 wherein the sprayer comprises a rotating spray arm.

22. The dishwasher of claim 16 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.

23. The dishwasher of claim 22 wherein the upper slidable plate and the lower slidable plate are operably coupled and move in tandem.

24. The dishwasher of claim 22 wherein the valve body is located within the body.

25. The dishwasher of claim 24 wherein each of the upper and lower membranes abut portions of the body to form a liquid seal between the portions of the body and the liquid passage.

26. The dishwasher of claim 16 wherein the lower slidable plate only partially extends along a length of the upper slidable plate.

27. The dishwasher of claim 16, further comprising a coupling mechanism operably coupling the lower slidable plate to the upper slidable plate.

28. The dishwasher of claim 27 wherein the drive system provides driving force to the upper slidable plate and the coupling mechanism in turn provides driving force to the lower slidable plate.