U.S. patent application number 13/100420 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-08 for dishwasher spray arm with diverting valve.
This patent application is currently assigned to WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION. Invention is credited to JOSEPH W. ADAMS, KRISTOPHER L. DELGADO, JORDAN R. FOUNTAIN, SATHISH A. SUNDARAM.
Application Number | 20120279536 13/100420 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47089404 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120279536 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ADAMS; JOSEPH W. ; et
al. |
November 8, 2012 |
DISHWASHER SPRAY ARM WITH DIVERTING VALVE
Abstract
An automatic dishwasher having a rotatable sprayer includes a
nozzle that may be selectively fluidly coupled to a fluid supply by
a control valve.
Inventors: |
ADAMS; JOSEPH W.; (BARODA,
MI) ; DELGADO; KRISTOPHER L.; (STEVENSVILLE, MI)
; FOUNTAIN; JORDAN R.; (SAINT JOSEPH, MI) ;
SUNDARAM; SATHISH A.; (SAINT JOSEPH, MI) |
Assignee: |
WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
BENTON HARBOR
MI
|
Family ID: |
47089404 |
Appl. No.: |
13/100420 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/56D |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L 15/4282 20130101;
A47L 15/22 20130101; A47L 15/23 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
134/56.D |
International
Class: |
A47L 15/22 20060101
A47L015/22 |
Claims
1. An automatic dishwasher for treating utensils according to a
cycle of operation, comprising: a tub at least partially defining a
treating chamber for receiving utensils for treatment; a rotatable
sprayer comprising: a housing having a hub rotatable about an axis
of rotation; a first nozzle provided on the housing and having a
first spray pattern; a second nozzle provided on the housing and
having a second spray pattern, different from the first spray
pattern; a first liquid conduit provided within the housing and
extending from the first nozzle to the hub to fluidly couple the
first nozzle to the hub; a second liquid conduit provided within
the housing and extending from the second nozzle to the hub to
fluidly couple the second nozzle to the hub; a liquid supply
fluidly coupled to the hub; and a control valve provided within the
hub and comprising a valve body, rotatable about the axis of
rotation, having an inlet and an outlet; wherein the inlet is
fluidly coupled to the liquid supply and the outlet is selectively
fluidly coupled to either of the first and second liquid conduits
by the relative rotational positions of the housing and the valve
body, such that liquid from the liquid supply is selectively
supplied to the first and second nozzles by controlling the
relative rotation between the valve body and the housing.
2. The automatic dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the first spray
pattern is more diffused than the second spray pattern.
3. The automatic dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the second spray
pattern is more concentrated than the first spray pattern.
4. The automatic dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising multiple
first and second nozzles on the housing.
5. The automatic dishwasher of claim 1 wherein the housing defines
multiple arms extending from the hub.
6. The automatic dishwasher of claim 5 wherein the first and second
nozzles are provided on the same arm.
7. The automatic dishwasher of claim 5 wherein the first and second
nozzles are provided on different arms.
8. The automatic dishwasher of claim 7, further comprising a drive
system operably coupled to at least one of the housing and the
valve body to control the rotation of the at least one of the
housing and the valve body relative to the other of the housing and
the valve body.
9. The automatic dishwasher of claim 8 wherein the drive system is
operably coupled to both the housing and the valve body to control
the rotation of both the housing and the valve body.
10. The automatic dishwasher of claim 9 wherein the drive system
controls the relative rotation of the housing and the valve body to
control spray emitted from either the first and second nozzles in
pre-selected areas of the treating chamber.
11. The automatic dishwasher of claim 9 wherein the drive system
controls the relative rotation of the housing and the valve body to
control a sequence of the spray emitted from the first and second
nozzles in a pre-selected area of the treating chamber.
12. An automatic dishwasher for treating utensils according to a
cycle of operation, comprising: a tub at least partially defining a
treating chamber for receiving utensils for treatment; a rotatable
sprayer comprising a hub rotating about an axis of rotation and an
arm extending from the hub and having a nozzle provided on the arm
and a liquid conduit provided within the arm and extending from the
hub to the nozzle; a liquid supply fluidly coupled to the hub; a
control valve provided within the hub and comprising a valve body,
rotatable about the axis of rotation, having an inlet fluidly
coupled to the liquid supply and an outlet selectively coupled to
the liquid conduit based on the relative rotational positions of
the valve body and the hub; and a drive system comprising a gear
train having a first ring gear provided on the hub, a second ring
gear provided on the valve body, and at least one gear operably
coupling the first and second ring gears; wherein the gear train
operably couples the hub and valve body to control the relative
rotational positions of the hub and valve body to selectively
supply liquid from the liquid supply to the nozzle.
13. The automatic dishwasher of claim 12 wherein the at least one
gear comprises a first idler gear directly enmeshed with at least
one of the first ring gear and the second ring gear.
14. The automatic dishwasher of claim 13 wherein the gear train
further comprises a second idler gear enmeshed with at least one of
the first idler gear and the other of the first ring gear and
second ring gear.
15. The automatic dishwasher of claim 14 wherein the gear train
further comprises a third idler gear that enmeshes with both the
first idler gear and the second idler gear.
16. The automatic dishwasher of claim 15, wherein the first and
second idler gears are vertically spaced.
17. The automatic dishwasher of claim 16, further comprising a
spindle shaft having three separate gear shafts with each gear
shaft coupled to one of the idler gears and providing an axis about
which the corresponding idler gear may turn.
18. The automatic dishwasher of claim 12 wherein any of the gears
in the gear train may be a drive gear.
19. The automatic dishwasher of claim 18 wherein the first ring
gear is the drive gear.
20. The automatic dishwasher of claim 18, further comprising a
motor operably coupled with the drive gear to control the rotation
of the drive gear.
21. The automatic dishwasher of claim 12 wherein a gear ratio of
the gear train is such that the hub and valve body rotate at
different speeds.
22. The automatic dishwasher of claim 21 wherein the gear ratio is
such that the valve body rotates slower than the hub.
23. The automatic dishwasher of claim 21 wherein the gear ratio is
such that the valve body and arm remain fluidly coupled for at
least one complete revolution.
24. The automatic dishwasher of claim 21 wherein the gear ratio is
such that the valve body and arm remain fluidly coupled for a
predetermined portion of one revolution of the first ring gear.
25. The automatic dishwasher of claim 24 wherein the gear ratio is
such that the valve body and the arm are fluidly coupled multiple
times during one complete revolution of the first ring gear.
26. The automatic dishwasher of claim 12 wherein the valve body
comprises a sleeve having a peripheral wall with an upper edge
defining an open top and a lower edge defining an open bottom, with
the open bottom forming the inlet and an opening in the peripheral
wall defining the outlet.
27. The automatic dishwasher of claim 26 wherein the hub comprises
a cylinder having a peripheral wall with a closed top and an open
bottom, with the valve body received with the hub such that the
closed top of the hub fluidly closes the open top of the valve
body.
28. The automatic dishwasher of claim 27 wherein the hub comprises
an opening in the hub peripheral wall, which is fluidly coupled to
the conduit in the arm.
29. The automatic dishwasher of claim 28 wherein the hub further
comprises multiple openings in the hub peripheral wall, and further
comprising multiple arms with nozzles, each of the arms having a
conduit fluidly coupled to a corresponding one of the multiple
openings.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Contemporary automatic dishwashers for use in a typical
household include a tub at least partially defining a treating
chamber within which is provided at least one rack or basket for
supporting soiled dishes within the tub. A spray system may be
provided for recirculating wash liquid throughout the tub to remove
soils from the utensils. The dishwasher may have a controller that
implements a number of pre-programmed cycles of operation to wash
utensils contained in the tub.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to an automatic dishwasher having a
rotatable sprayer that includes a housing with a first nozzle, a
second nozzle, and a hub, which is rotatable about an axis of
rotation. A first liquid conduit extends from the first nozzle to
the hub to fluidly couple the first nozzle to the hub and a second
liquid conduit extends from the second nozzle to the hub to fluidly
couple the second nozzle to the hub. A liquid supply fluidly
couples to the hub and a control valve is provided within the hub
and has a valve body, which is rotatable about the axis of
rotation. Liquid from the liquid supply is selectively supplied to
the first and second nozzles by controlling the relative rotation
between the valve body and the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a dishwasher having a lower
rotatable sprayer according to one embodiment of the invention.
[0004] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the rotatable
sprayer of FIG. 1 with a drive system for the spray arm shown in
phantom lines within a hub of the spray arm.
[0005] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lower rotatable
sprayer of FIG. 2.
[0006] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a controller of the dishwasher
of FIG. 1.
[0007] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rotatable sprayer
according to a second embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an automatic
dishwasher 10 in accordance with a first embodiment of the
invention. The dishwasher 10 shares many features of a conventional
automatic dishwasher, which will not be described in detail herein
except as necessary for a complete understanding of the invention.
While the present invention is described in terms of a conventional
dishwashing unit, it could also be implemented in other types of
dishwashing units, such as in-sink dishwashers or drawer-type
dishwashers.
[0009] As illustrated, the dishwasher 10 includes a chassis 12
which contains a wash tub 14 that at least partially defines a
treating chamber 16 with an access opening in the form of an open
face. A cover, illustrated as a door 18, may be hingedly mounted to
the chassis 12 and may move between an opened position, wherein the
user may access the treating chamber 16, and a closed position, as
shown in FIG. 1, wherein the door 18 covers or closes the open face
of the treating chamber 16.
[0010] Utensil holders in the form of upper and lower racks 20, 22
are located within the treating chamber 16 and receive utensils for
being treated. The racks 20, 22 are mounted for slidable movement
in and out of the treating chamber 16 for ease of loading and
unloading. As used in this description, the term "utensil(s)" is
intended to be generic to any item, single or plural, that may be
treated in the dishwasher 10, including, without limitation;
dishes, plates, pots, bowls, pans, glassware, and silverware.
[0011] A spray system is provided for spraying liquid in the
treating chamber 16 and is provided in the form of an upper sprayer
40, a mid-level sprayer 42, and a lower sprayer 44. Upper sprayer
40 is located above the upper rack 20 and is illustrated as a fixed
spray nozzle that sprays liquid downwardly within the treating
chamber 16. Mid-level rotatable sprayer 42 and lower rotatable
sprayer 44 are located, respectively, beneath upper rack 20 and
lower rack 22 and are illustrated as rotating spray arms. The
mid-level spray arm 42 may be rotatably mounted to the bottom of
the upper rack 20 and may provide a liquid spray upwardly through
the bottom of the upper rack 20. The lower rotatable spray arm 44
may be rotatably mounted to the recirculation pump 36 beneath the
lower rack 22 and may provide a liquid spray upwardly through the
bottom of the lower rack 22. The mid-level rotatable sprayer 42 may
optionally also provide a liquid spray downwardly onto the lower
rack 22, but for purposes of simplification, this will not be
illustrated herein.
[0012] A recirculation system is provided for recirculating liquid
from the treating chamber to the spray system. The recirculation
system may include a sump 26 and a pump assembly 32. The sump 26
collects the liquid sprayed in the treating chamber 16 and may be
formed by a sloped or recess portion of a bottom wall 24 of the tub
14. The pump assembly 32 may include both a drain pump 34 and a
recirculation pump 36.
[0013] The drain pump 34 may draw liquid from the sump 26 and pump
the liquid out of the dishwasher 10 to a household drain line 38.
The recirculation pump 36 may draw liquid from the sump 26 and pump
the liquid to the spraying system to supply liquid to any of the
upper sprayer 40, mid-level rotatable sprayer 42, and lower
rotatable sprayer 44. As illustrated, liquid may be supplied to the
mid-level rotatable sprayer 42 and upper sprayer 40 through a
supply tube 48 that extends generally rearwardly from the
recirculation pump 36 and upwardly along a rear wall of the tub 14.
While the supply tube 48 ultimately supplies liquid to the
mid-level rotatable sprayer 42 and upper sprayer 40, it may fluidly
communicate with one or more manifold tubes that directly transport
liquid to the mid-level rotatable sprayer 42 and upper sprayer 40.
A heating system having a heater 28 may be located within or near
the sump 26 for heating liquid contained in the sump 26.
[0014] A controller 50 may also be included in the dishwasher 10,
which may be operably coupled to various components of the
dishwasher 10 to implement a cycle of operation. A control panel or
user interface 52 provided on the dishwasher 10 and coupled to the
controller 50 may be used to select a cycle of operation. The user
interface 52 may include operational controls such as dials,
lights, switches, and displays enabling a user to input commands to
the controller 50 and receive information. Alternatively, the
treating cycle may be automatically selected by the controller 50
based on soil levels sensed by the dishwasher 10 to optimize the
performance of the dishwasher 10 for a particular load of utensils.
The dishwasher 10 may further include other conventional components
such as additional spray arms or nozzles, a filter, a treating
chemistry dispenser, etc.; however, these components are not
germane to the present invention and will not be described further
herein.
[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a partial perspective view of the lower
rotatable sprayer 44, which has a housing 52 that includes a hub 53
from which multiple spray arms 54 extend. A liquid supply conduit
56 fluidly couples the hub 53 to the recirculation pump 36 such
that liquid may be provided to the spray arms 54 through the hub
53. The hub 53 is rotatably mounted to the liquid supply conduit 56
such that the spray arms 54 and hub 53 are rotatable about an axis
of rotation 58.
[0016] Nozzles, such as nozzles 60 and 66, may be provided on the
spray arms 54 in any desired configuration. As illustrated, nozzles
60 and 66 provide different spray patterns and are provided on
different spray arms 54, thereby, controlling the supply of liquid
to the different spray arms 54 functions to control the spray
pattern provided to the treating chamber 16. One or more of the
nozzles 60 and 66 may be provided on their respective spray arm
54.
[0017] The first nozzle 60 emits a first spray pattern 62, which
has been depicted as being a discrete, focused, and concentrated
spray pattern. A first liquid conduit 64 is provided within an
interior of the spray arm 54 and may extend from the first nozzle
60 to the hub 53 to fluidly couple the first nozzle 60 to the hub
53. The second nozzle 66 emits a second spray pattern 68, which is
depicted as being different from the first spray pattern 62. More
specifically, the second spray pattern 68 has been illustrated as a
wide angle diffused spray pattern, which produces more of a shower
as compared to the more concentrated and discrete spray pattern
produced by the first nozzle 60. A second liquid conduit 70 may be
provided within an interior of the spray arm 54 and may extend from
the second nozzle 68 to the hub 53 to fluidly couple the second
nozzle 68 to the hub 53. In one implementation, the first spray
pattern may be a continuous stream of liquid and the second spray
pattern may be multiple drops of liquid, which do not form a
continuous stream.
[0018] The lower rotatable sprayer 44 is illustrated as having four
spray arms 54. Two of the four spray arms 54 are illustrated as
having the first liquid conduit 64, which is fluidly coupled with
the first nozzle 60 provided while the remaining two spray arms 54
are illustrated as having the second liquid conduit 70, which is
fluidly coupled with the second spray nozzles 66. It has also been
contemplated that each spray arm 54 may have spray nozzles with
totally different and distinct spray patterns. Although multiple
spray nozzles have been illustrated on each arm, it has been
contemplated that only one nozzle may be located on each arm.
Further, it has been contemplated that any number of spray arms 54
may be included on the lower rotatable sprayer 44. By way of
non-limiting example, the lower rotatable sprayer 44 may have as
many as sixteen different arms to as few as two arms.
[0019] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the lower
rotatable sprayer 44 and illustrates that the hub 53 is cylindrical
and has a peripheral wall with a closed top and an open bottom. The
hub 53 includes multiple hollow male connectors 55 extending from
the peripheral wall and each of the spray arms 54 may be mounted
thereon. The openings within each of the male connectors 55 allow
for fluid coupling between the hub 53 and the fluid conduits 64, 70
in the spray arms 54.
[0020] A control valve 74 may be provided within the hub 53 and
includes a valve body 75 that is also rotatable about the axis of
rotation 58. The valve body 75 has a circular sleeve configuration
having a peripheral wall 78 with an upper edge defining an open top
79 and a lower edge defining an open bottom 80. The open bottom 80
forms an inlet 76, which is fluidly coupled to the liquid supply
conduit 56. An opening in the peripheral wall 78 defines the outlet
77. The radial size of the outlet 77 may be such that the arc
length of the peripheral wall 78 that it spans is less than a
quarter of the arc length of the peripheral wall 78 such that only
one of the spray arms 54 may be fluidly coupled to the hub 53 at a
time. Alternatively, it has been contemplated that the size of the
outlet 77 may be smaller or larger such that the arc length it
spans may be smaller or larger, respectively.
[0021] The outlet 77 may be selectively coupled to any one of the
spray arms 54 by the relative rotational positions of the housing
52 and the valve body 75. The outlet 77 may be sized according to
the number of conduits in the housing 52 and is illustrated as
being sized such that only one spray arm 54 is supplied liquid at a
time. Alternatively, a larger outlet could be used in the valve
body 75 or multiple outlets could be included in the valve body 75
such that liquid may be supplied to multiple conduits
simultaneously.
[0022] A drive system 82 is provided to control the relative
rotation between the control valve 74 and the hub 53, which
provides for controlling where and the duration of when the valve
body outlet opening 77 fluidly couples to one of the first and
second conduits 64, 70 of one of the spray arms 54. While
illustrated as coupling both the valve body and hub 53, the drive
system 82 may be operably coupled to either the hub 53 or the valve
body 75 to control the rotation of the hub 53 or the valve body 75,
respectively, relative to the other.
[0023] The drive system 82 further comprises a gear train 83 that
affects the operable coupling between the hub 53 and the valve body
75. The gear train 83 includes a first ring gear 84 provided on the
hub 53 and a second ring gear 85 provided on the valve body. First,
second and third idler gears 86, 87, 88 coupled the first and
second ring gears 84, 85. The first idler gear 86 is illustrated as
being directly enmeshed with the first ring gear 84 while the
second idler gear 87 is illustrated as being enmeshed with the
second ring gear 85. The third idler gear 88 is illustrated as
being enmeshed with both the first idler gear 86 and the second
idler gear 87. The idler gears 86-88 operably couple the first ring
gear 84 with the second ring gear 85 such that the relative
rotational positions of the hub 53 and valve body 75 may be
controlled to selectively supply liquid from the liquid supply
conduit 56 to one of the first and second nozzles 60, 66.
Alternatively, the first, second, and third idler gears may be
replaced by any number of gears including a single gear which may
operably couple the first ring gear 84 with the second ring gear 85
such that the relative rotational positions of the hub 53 and valve
body 75 may be controlled.
[0024] As illustrated, the first ring gear 84 and the second ring
gear 85 are vertically spaced from each other. In turn, the first
and second idler gears 86, 87 that are enmeshed with the first and
second ring gears 84, 85, respectively, are also vertically spaced
from each other. The third idler gear 88 spans the vertical space
such that the third idler gear 88 enmeshes with both the first
idler gear 86 and the second idler gear 87.
[0025] The open top 79 of the valve body 75 provides a space
through which the idler gears may extend to couple the ring gears
84, 85 together. The valve body 75 is received with the hub 53 such
that the closed top of the hub 53 fluidly closes the open top 79 of
the valve body 75. The hub 53 essentially provides a sealing
surface for the open top of the valve body 75. As illustrated, the
gear train 83 is immersed within a liquid flow path of the lower
rotatable sprayer 44. It has also been contemplated that the gear
train 83 could be separated from the liquid by bringing the gear
train 83 above the valve body 75, reducing the size of the open top
79 of the valve body 75, and sealing the open top 79.
[0026] The drive system 82 further comprises a spindle shaft 89 for
supporting the idler gears 86-88. The spindle shaft 89 has three
separate gear shafts 90, each of which couples to one of the idler
gears 86-88. Each gear shaft 90 provides an axis about which each
of the corresponding idler gears 86-88 may rotate and aids in
supporting the idler gears 66-68. The spindle shaft 89 is
illustrated as being operably coupled within a portion of the
liquid supply conduit 56 such that the spindle shaft 89 is anchored
to the liquid supply conduit 56. The anchoring of the spindle shaft
89 results in improved stability and reduced friction as well as
reduced leakage of the control valve 74.
[0027] Any of the gears 84-88, illustrated in the drive system 82,
may be a rotatable drive gear, which affects the relative rotation
between the hub and the arms. The drive system 82 may be operated
to control the relative rotation of the housing 52 and the valve
body 75 and thus, control a spray of liquid emitted from one of the
multiple arms 52 in pre-selected areas of the treating chamber 16.
The drive system 82 may be powered in a variety of ways. For
example, the drive system 82 may rely on liquid pumped from the
recirculation pump 36 to provide hydraulic drive to rotate the hub
53, which through the gear train 83 affects the rotation of the
valve body 75. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the drive
system 82 may be motor-driven. For example, an electric motor may
be provided externally of the tub and have a drive shaft that
extends through the tub and couples to one of the gears of the
drive train. It is contemplated that the drive shaft could extend
through the supply conduit 56, up through the spindle 89 and drive
the idler gear 87. Further, it has been contemplated that other
drive systems may be used to control the relative rotation of the
housing 52 and the valve body 75. The drive system 82 is merely an
exemplary drive system and any suitable drive system may be used to
control the relative rotation of the housing 52 and the valve body
75.
[0028] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the controller 50 may be coupled
with the recirculation pump 36 for recirculation of liquid in the
treating chamber 16 and the drain pump 34 for drainage of liquid
from the dishwasher 10. The controller 50 may also be operably
coupled with the heater 28 to heat the liquid within the wash tub
14 depending on the cycle of operation. The controller 50 may also
receive inputs from one or more other additional sensors 91,
examples of which are known in the art. Non-limiting examples of
sensors that may be communicably coupled with the controller 50
include a temperature sensor and a turbidity sensor to determine
the soil load associated with the utensils within the dishwasher
10. Further, if the drive system 82 is driven by an optional motor
92, then the controller 50 may be operably coupled to the motor 92
such that it may control the relative rotation of the housing 52
and the valve body 75 to control the spray emitted from the first
and second nozzles 60, 66.
[0029] The controller 50 may be provided with a memory 94 and a
central processing unit (CPU) 96. The memory 94 may be used for
storing control software in the form of a plurality of executable
instructions that may be executed by the CPU 96 in completing a
cycle of operation of the dishwasher 10 and any additional
software. For example, the memory 94 may store one or more
pre-programmed cycles of operation that may be selected by a user.
Examples of cycles of operation include normal, light/china,
heavy/pots and pans, and rinse only.
[0030] In general, during operation of the dishwasher 10, the
controller 50 may be operably coupled with one or more components
of the dishwasher 10 for communicating with and controlling the
operation of the component to complete a cycle of operation. During
operation, liquid may be supplied from a liquid source such as a
household water supply (not shown) and the recirculation pump 36
may be operated to supply liquid from the sump 26 to the sprayers
40, 42, 44 to spray utensils located in the treating chamber 16.
Liquid may be selectively supplied from the liquid supply conduit
56 to any one of the first and second liquid conduits 64, 70 and
thus, the first and second nozzles 60, 66 by controlling the
relative rotation between the valve body 75 and the housing 52.
More specifically, by controlling the relative rotation between the
valve body 75 and the housing 52 the location of the outlet 77
relative to the multiple spray arms 54 may be controlled and thus
the flow of liquid from the liquid supply conduit 56 to one of the
first and second nozzles 60, 66 may be controlled.
[0031] If the drive system 82 is hydraulically driven, as
illustrated above, the drive system 82 controls both the rotation
of the housing 52 and the valve body 75. In the embodiment
illustrated above, the first ring gear 84 is the drive gear. More
specifically, when liquid reaches the housing 52 the rotatable
spray arm 54, which is currently fluidly coupled to the liquid
supply conduit 56, is hydraulically driven. As the spray arm 54 is
hydraulically driven the hub 53 and thus the first ring gear 84 are
also hydraulically driven and caused to rotate about the axis of
rotation 58. As the ring gear 84 is rotated it affects the rotation
of the second ring gear 85 through the gear train 83. This results
in the rotation of the valve body 75 relative to the housing
52.
[0032] As the valve body 75 is rotated relative to the housing 52,
a fluid path to each of the first and second nozzles 60, 66 is
sequentially fluidly coupled and uncoupled as the lower rotatable
sprayer 44 rotates. More specifically, as the valve body 75 is
rotated relative to the housing 52, the outlet 77 is also rotated
relative to the first and second conduits 64, 70. Thus, the valve
body 75 will close the fluid path to one of the first and second
conduits 64, 70 and open a fluid path to another of the first and
second conduits 64, 70. This results in a sequential fluid coupling
between each of the first and second conduits 64, 70 and the liquid
supply conduit 56. The amount of time that the outlet 77 is fluidly
coupled with each of the first and second conduits 64, 70 controls
the duration of the time that each of the first and second nozzles
60, 66 spray liquid. The time of fluid coupling can be thought of
as a dwell time. With the above described control valve 74, the
dwell time can be controlled by the gear ratio and the flow rate of
liquid. The rotation of the valve body 75 and the housing 52 ends
when fluid is no longer pumped by the recirculation pump 36 to the
lower rotatable sprayer 44 such that the lower rotatable sprayer 44
is no longer hydraulically driven.
[0033] Gear ratios of the gear train 83 may be selected to control
the relative movement of the valve body 75 and housing 52. The gear
ratio of the gear train 83 is a function of the ratios of gears
forming the gear train. Thus, the gears may be selected to provide
a desired ratio to provide a desired dwell time. If the relative
speed between the valve body 75 and housing 52 is greater than
zero, the fluid coupling to the multiple spray arms 54 will be
sequenced. It has been contemplated that the gear ratio may be such
that the valve body 75 rotates either slower or faster than the hub
53. As illustrated, the gear ratio is such that the dwell time may
be for at least one complete revolution of the first ring gear 84.
Alternatively, the gear ratio may be such that the dwell time may
be for multiple revolutions of the first ring gear 84.
Alternatively, it has been determined that the gear ratio may be
such that the dwell time is only for a predetermined portion of one
revolution of the first ring gear 84. Alternatively, it has been
contemplated that the gear ratio may be such that the valve body 75
and one of the spray arms 54 may be fluidly coupled multiple times
during one complete revolution of the first ring gear 84. If one
wants to open up a different conduit to the fluid path for every
one rotation of the housing 52, then the gear ratio should take
into account the number of arms 52 that are on the housing 52. For
example, the gear ratio would be different for a sprayer having two
arms and a sprayer having four arms.
[0034] Alternatively, if the drive system 82 is motor operated (not
illustrated), during operation of the dishwasher 10, either or both
the housing 52 and the valve body 75 may be rotated by the motor 92
to control the flow of liquid to the first and second nozzles 60,
66 as the lower rotatable sprayer 44 rotates. If only the valve
body 75 is driven by the motor it is contemplated that the hub 53
and the valve body 75 may be independently driven. More
specifically, the hub 53 may be hydraulically driven while the
valve body 75 may be motor driven. It should be noted that in such
a motor operated drive system any of the gears may be the drive
gear. Once the drive system 82 has been operated by the motor 92 to
fluidly couple one of the first and second conduits 64, 70 with the
liquid supply conduit 56 the controller 50 may turn off the motor
and operate the recirculation pump 36 to supply liquid to the lower
rotatable sprayer 44 through the liquid supply conduit 56.
Alternatively, during the supply of liquid, the motor 92 may be
operated such that the drive system 82 affects a sequencing of
spray emitted from the first nozzle 60 and the second nozzle 66. In
this manner, zonal washing, may be accomplished within the treating
chamber 16 because the drive system 82 may have the ability to
manipulate both the speed of rotation of the housing 52 and/or the
speed of the rotation of the valve body 75 such that the controller
50 may control the sequence of spray emitted from the first nozzle
60 and the second nozzle 66 in pre-selected areas of the treating
chamber 16.
[0035] The control valve 74, described above, allows for the
selection of an active nozzle by turning the valve body 75 at a
rate slower than that of the spray arm 54. If the rate of rotation
of the valve body 75 and housing 52 is only slightly different,
then each of the spray arms 52 will make multiple revolutions about
the treating chamber 16 before the fluid path to the next spray arm
52 is connected. The configuration described above may allow for
additional coverage of the treating chamber 16, as multiple types
of spray nozzles having multiple spray patterns may be used during
a cycle of operation, which in turn may result in better cleaning
of utensils within the treating chamber 16 with no additional
liquid consumption.
[0036] Further, because the lower rotatable sprayer 44 described
above has multiple conduits and each conduit has a smaller total
nozzle area than current spray arm designs, lower flow rates may be
used and this may result in less liquid or water being required.
This increases the velocity of the spray emitted from each of the
first and second nozzles while not sacrificing coverage or
individual nozzle size. Further, with less liquid flow needed, a
smaller recirculation pump having a smaller motor may also be used
which may result in a cost and energy savings.
[0037] FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a portion of an
alternative rotatable sprayer 144 according to a second embodiment
of the invention. The rotatable sprayer 144 is similar to the
rotatable sprayer 44 previously described and, therefore, like
parts will be identified with like numerals increased by 100, with
it being understood that the description of the like parts of the
rotatable sprayer 44 applies to the rotatable sprayer 144, unless
otherwise noted.
[0038] One difference between the rotatable sprayer 44 and the
rotatable sprayer 144 is that the rotatable sprayer 144 has been
illustrated as including two separate arms 154 with each arm 154
including both a first nozzle 160 and a second nozzle 166. Further,
a first liquid conduit 164 and a second liquid conduit 170 are both
provided within the housing 152 on each arm 154. The first and
second liquid conduits 164, 170 may extend from the first and
second nozzles 160, 166, respectively, to the hub 153 to fluidly
couple the first and second nozzles 160, 166 to the hub 153.
[0039] As with the earlier embodiment, a control valve 174 having a
valve body 175 is included in the housing to control the flow of
liquid to the first and second nozzles 160, 166. However, the valve
body 175 has two outlets 177 such that either the first or second
nozzles 160, 166 in both spray arms 154 may spray liquid at the
same time. Thus, the valve body 175 may selectively supply liquid
from the liquid supply conduit 156 to either the first or second
liquid conduits 164, 170 within each spray arm 154 by controlling
the relative rotation between the valve body 175 and the housing
152. A drive system (not shown) may be operably coupled to either
or both the housing 152 and the valve body 175 to control the
rotation of either or both the housing 152 and the valve body 175
to control the spray of liquid emitted from either of the first and
second nozzles 160, 166. More specifically, such a drive system may
control the location of the valve outlets 177 relative to the first
or second liquid conduits 164, 170 within each spray arm 154.
[0040] While the invention has been specifically described in
connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be
understood that this is by way of illustration and not of
limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be
construed as broadly as the prior art will permit. For example, it
has been contemplated that a spray arm with a control valve and
drive system may also be used in the mid-level rotatable spray arm
or in the upper sprayer so long as the upper sprayer was
rotatable.
* * * * *