Dish Washing Machine

Abstract

A dish washing machine includes a main body, a washing tub provided within the main body, a plurality of spray nozzles configured to spray washing water into an inside of the washing tub, a plurality of vanes configured to respectively move in the washing tub to reflect the washing water sprayed from the spray nozzles toward one or more areas which accommodate dishes, and a rail configured to guide the movement of the vanes. The dishes accommodated in the dish washing machine may be washed in various ways depending on the type of dishes to be washed and a degree of contamination of the dishes, because it is possible to wash divided regions of the washing tub, respectively.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0169462, filed on Dec. 31, 2013 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] 1. Field

[0003] The disclosure relates to a dish washing machine including a spray nozzle fixed at a side of a washing tub, and a vane moving in the washing tub to reflect washing water sprayed from the spray nozzle towards dishes which are disposed in the dish washing machine to be washed.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] A dish washing machine generally refers to an appliance for washing an object (e.g., a dish) by spraying washing water at high pressure, the dish washing machine generally including a main body having a washing tub therein, a basket which accommodates dishes, a sump which accumulates the washing water, a spray nozzle for spraying the washing water, and a pump for delivering the washing water in the sump to the spray nozzle.

[0006] The dish washing machine generally employs a spray structure of a rotor type having a rotating spray nozzle. The spray nozzle sprays the washing water while the spray nozzle is rotated by water pressure. As the rotating spray nozzle only sprays the washing water within a radius range of rotation thereof, there may be a region not being sprayed with the washing water. Thus, a so called linear type spray structure has been proposed such that an entire region is sprayed.

[0007] The linear type spray structure may include a stationary nozzle fixed to a side of the washing tub, and a vane moving in a washing tub to reflect the washing water sprayed from the spray nozzle toward the dish, and thus the linear type spray structure may spray washing water to the entire region of the washing tub.

[0008] The stationary nozzle may have a plurality of spray holes arranged in a lateral direction of the washing tub and may be fixed to the backside of the washing tub, and the vane may extend in the lateral direction of the washing tub to reflect the washing water from the plurality of the spray holes and may be arranged to reciprocate (move) in a forward-backward direction of the washing tub.

[0009] The linear type spray structure further may include a drive device for driving the vane. The drive device may be implemented in various ways, and as an example, the drive device may include a motor, a belt connected to the motor for transmitting a driving force to the vane, and a rail for guiding a movement of the vane, wherein the vane moves on the rail when the belt is rotated by the motor.

[0010] In a distribution device for distributing the washing water accumulated in the sump to the spray nozzle, a distribution device having a different structure than that of a rotor type spray structure is preferred in the linear type spray structure.

[0011] When the spray nozzle disposed in a lower portion of the washing tub is a rotating nozzle, a flow passage connecting an outlet of the distribution device to the rotating nozzle may be shortened and a pressure loss of the washing water may be minimized by directing the outlet of the distribution device upward.

[0012] However, when the spray nozzle disposed in the lower portion of the washing tub is the stationary nozzle, as the stationary nozzle is disposed adjacent to the backside (rear wall) of the washing tub, it is not necessary to direct the outlet of the distribution device upward. Rather, when the outlet is directed upward, the flow passage connecting the outlet of the distribution device to the stationary nozzle should be bent rearward as soon as the flow passage starts to extend from the outlet of the distribution device, and thus the pressure loss of the washing water may increase.

[0013] Meanwhile, as the spray nozzles of the linear type spray structure are fixed, it is possible to implement a partitioned washing in which the washing water is sprayed to a portion of region of the washing tub by distributing the washing water to some of the spray nozzles rather than all of the spray nozzles.

SUMMARY

[0014] Additional aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

[0015] Therefore, it is an aspect of the disclosure to provide a dish washing machine having a linear type spray structure, wherein the dish washing machine is improved to achieve a divisional washing.

[0016] It is an aspect of the disclosure to provide a dish washing machine which may include a main body, a washing tub provided within the main body, a plurality of spray nozzles configured to spray a washing water into an inside of the washing tub, a plurality of vanes configured to respectively move in the washing tub to reflect the washing water sprayed from the spray nozzles toward a dish, and a rail configured to guide the movement of the vanes.

[0017] The plurality of vanes may be connected to and interlocked with a belt by a drive pulley and an idle pulley.

[0018] The plurality of vanes may move angularly due to a water pressure of the washing water sprayed from the spray nozzles.

[0019] The dish washing machine may further include a drive device configured to drive the plurality of vanes.

[0020] The drive device may include the rail, a motor configured to generate a driving force, and a belt connected to a drive pulley and an idle pulley and rotated thereby so as to deliver the driving force of the motor to the vanes.

[0021] The rail may be provided in the same number as that of the plurality of vanes, and each rail may couple with the vanes independently.

[0022] The drive device may be provided in the same number as that of the plurality of vanes, and each drive device may drive each vane independently.

[0023] The plurality of vanes may separately wash the inside of the washing tub which is divided into regions.

[0024] At least one of the plurality of spray nozzles may be a stationary nozzle fixed to an inner wall of the washing tub, and at least one of the spray nozzles may be a rotating nozzle for spraying the washing water while rotating within the washing tub.

[0025] The drive device may include a rear holder for rotationally supporting the drive pulley and may be coupled with an end of the rail by a tension of the belt, and a front holder for rotationally supporting the idle pulley and coupled with the other end of the rail by a tension of the belt.

[0026] It is a further aspect of the disclosure to provide a dish washing machine which may include a main body, a washing tub provided within the main body, at least one rotating nozzle configured to spray a washing water into an inside of the washing tub, a stationary nozzle located at an inner wall of the washing tub configured to spray the washing water, and at least one vane configured to reflect the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzle toward a dish.

[0027] A first region within which the vane moves and a second region within which the washing water is sprayed from the rotating nozzle may be washed independently of each other.

[0028] The first region and the second region may be different regions from each other.

[0029] At least one portion of the first region and the second region may be overlapped.

[0030] The vane may be provided as a plurality and connected with a belt by a drive pulley and an idle pulley so that the vanes move within the washing tub while being interlocked with the belt.

[0031] One of the plurality of vanes may move in a first direction and another vane may move in a second direction due to water pressure of the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzle.

[0032] The vane may be provided as a plurality and move within the washing tub independently of each other.

[0033] The dish washing machine may further include a drive device configured to drive the plurality of vanes, wherein the drive device may include a motor configured to generate a driving force, a belt connected to a drive pulley and an idle pulley and rotated thereby so as to deliver the driving force of the motor to the vanes, and a rail configured to guide the movement of the vanes.

[0034] The drive device may be provided in the same number as that of the plurality of vanes and each drive device may drive each vane independently.

[0035] The rotating nozzle may be provided as a plurality and may include a first region washed by the vane, and a second region and a third region washed by the rotating nozzle.

[0036] It is a further aspect of the disclosure to provide a dish washing machine which may include a main body including a door, a washing tub disposed within the main body, at least one rotating nozzle to spray washing water into an inside of the washing tub, a plurality of stationary nozzles disposed in a stationary nozzle assembly at a rear wall of the washing tub to spray the washing water in a direction toward the door, and at least one vane disposed to move forward and rearward and to reflect the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzle in an upward direction. The washing tub may include a plurality of regions including a first region which primarily receives washing water reflected from the at least one vane, and a second region which primarily receives washing water sprayed from the at least one rotating nozzle.

[0037] The dish washing machine may include at least two vanes including a first vane and second vane disposed in parallel, and the dish washing machine further may include at least two drive devices to drive the at least two vanes, including a first drive device to drive the first vane and a second drive device to drive the second vane.

[0038] The plurality of stationary nozzles may include a first stationary nozzle disposed at a left side of the rear wall of the washing tub and a second stationary nozzle disposed at a right side of the rear wall of the washing tub, each of the first stationary nozzle and the second stationary nozzle including a plurality of spray holes. The first vane may be disposed along a first rail which is disposed between spray holes of the first stationary nozzle and extends from the stationary nozzle assembly toward the door, and the second vane may be disposed along a second rail which is disposed between spray holes of the second stationary nozzle and extends from the stationary nozzle assembly toward the door.

[0039] The first vane and the second vane may be controllable to be moved at different speeds and/or different directions from one another.

[0040] The first region may include a first sub-region and a second sub-region, and the first sub-region primarily receives washing water reflected from the first vane and the second sub-region primarily receives washing water reflected from the second vane.

[0041] The at least one rotating nozzle may spray washing water in an upward direction and may be disposed in a lower portion of the washing tub adjacent to the at least one vane, the at least one vane being disposed along a rail which extends from the stationary nozzle assembly to a central portion of the washing tub, adjacent to an outer circumferential portion of the at least one rotating nozzle. The first region may primarily receive washing water reflected from the at least one vane, and the second region may primarily receive washing water sprayed from the at least one rotating nozzle.

[0042] The at least one rotating nozzle may further include a first rotating nozzle and a second rotating nozzle to spray washing water in an upward direction, the first rotating nozzle and the second rotating nozzle being disposed in a lower portion of the washing tub adjacent to the at least one vane. The at least one vane may be disposed along a rail which extends from the stationary nozzle assembly to a central portion of the washing tub, adjacent to an outer circumferential portion of the first rotating nozzle and the second rotating nozzle. The first region may primarily receive washing water reflected from the at least one vane, and the second region may include a first sub-region and a second sub-region, where the first sub-region may primarily receive washing water sprayed from the first rotating nozzle, and the second sub-region may primarily receive washing water sprayed from the second rotating nozzle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] These and/or other aspects and advantages will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

[0044] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a view of a lower portion of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0046] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a drive device illustrating a vane and a drive device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a belt and a belt holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a rail, a belt, a belt holder and a vane holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a rail, a belt, a drive pulley and a rear holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0050] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a rail, a belt, a drive pulley and a rear holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0051] FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a rail, a belt, an idle pulley and a front holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0052] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a rail, a belt, an idle pulley and a front holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0053] FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a vane and a vane holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0054] FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0055] FIG. 12 is an enlarged view illustrating a vane and a portion of a vane holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1,

[0056] FIG. 13 is a view illustrating a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure when a plurality of vanes are disposed in the dish washing machine.

[0057] FIG. 14 is a view schematically illustrating a movement of the plurality of vanes of the dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0058] FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a structure of the dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0059] FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a structure of a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0060] FIG. 17 is a view illustrating a structure of flow passage of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0061] FIG. 18 is an exploded view illustrating a stationary nozzle assembly of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0062] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a stationary nozzle assembly of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0063] FIG. 20 is a view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG.

[0064] FIG. 21 is an exploded view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0065] FIG. 22 is an exploded view illustrating a structure of an opening and closing member of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0066] FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0067] FIG. 24 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion A of FIG. 23.

[0068] FIG. 25 is a side view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0069] FIG. 26 is an enlarged view illustrating a cam member of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0070] FIG. 27 is a view illustrating relations between on and off times of a micro switch of a distribution device and a position of an opening and closing member of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0071] FIG. 28 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which washing water is distributed to rotating nozzles only with a second outlet being open.

[0072] FIG. 29 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which a washing water is distributed to right stationary nozzles only with a third outlet being open.

[0073] FIG. 30 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which a washing water is distribute to left stationary nozzles and right stationary nozzles only with a first outlet and a third outlet being open.

[0074] FIG. 31 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which washing water is distributed to left stationary nozzles only with a first outlet being open.

[0075] FIG. 32 is an exploded view illustrating a bottom plate, a bottom plate cover and a motor of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0076] FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a bottom plate, a bottom plate cover and a motor of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0077] FIG. 34 is an exploded view illustrating a vane, a rail assembly, a distribution nozzle assembly and a bottom plate cover of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0078] FIGS. 35 to 37 are views illustrating operations in which a vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1 rotates.

[0079] FIG. 38 is a view illustrating an operation in which a vane reflects washing water in a movable range of the vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0080] FIG. 39 is a view illustrating an operation in which a vane reflects washing water in an immovable range of the vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0081] FIG. 40 is a view illustrating a sump, a coarse filter and a fine filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0082] FIG. 41 is an exploded view illustrating a sump, a coarse filter, a fine filter and a micro filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0083] FIG. 42 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 40;

[0084] FIG. 43 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion B of FIG. 42.

[0085] FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 43;

[0086] FIG. 45 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion C of FIG. 44.

[0087] FIG. 46 is a plan view illustrating a sump and a coarse filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, wherein a locking operation of a coarse filter is illustrated.

[0088] FIG. 47 is a side view illustrating a coarse filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0089] FIG. 48 is a view illustrating a sump and a coarse filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, wherein a locking operation of a coarse filter is illustrated.

[0090] FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a sump, a coarse filter and a micro filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0091] FIG. 50 is an enlarged plan view illustrating a coarse filter and a portion of a micro filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0092] FIG. 51 is a plan view illustrating a bottom of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0093] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below to explain the disclosure by referring to the figures. Where the term "configured" is used to describe any aspect of the disclosure, terms such as suitable for, adapted to, capable of, arranged to, operable to, provided to, etc., may also be applicable to describe that aspect of the disclosure

[0094] Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail.

[0095] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a view of a lower portion of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0096] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an entire structure of a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be generally described.

[0097] A dish washing machine 1 may include a main body 10 defining an exterior, a washing tub 30 provided within the main body 10, baskets 12a and 12b provided in the washing tub 30 so as to accommodate dishes, spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 to spray washing water, a sump 100 to accumulate the washing water, a circulating pump 51 for pumping the washing water from the sump 100 and delivering the washing water to the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340, a drain pump 52 for discharging the washing water of the sump 100 together with contaminants or debris from the main body 10, a vane 400 moving (e.g., in a front and back direction) in a washing tub 30 to reflect the washing water toward the dishes which may be accommodated in the baskets 12a and 12b, and a drive device 420 for driving the vane 400.

[0098] The washing tub 30 may have a roughly box shape, and the box shape may have an opening in the front side thereof to allow the dishes to be placed (loaded) and retrieved (unloaded). The front opening of the washing tub 30 may be opened or closed by a door 11. The washing tub 30 may have an upper wall 31, a rear wall 32, a left wall 33, a right wall 34 and a bottom plate 35.

[0099] The baskets 12a and 12b may be a wire rack such that the washing water may pass through it without being accumulated. The baskets 12a and 12b may be mounted detachably within the washing tub. The baskets 12a and 12b may include an upper basket 12a and a lower basket 12b disposed on an upper portion and a lower portion of the washing tub 30, respectively.

[0100] The distribution nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 may wash the dishes by spraying the washing water at high pressure. The distribution nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 may include an upper rotating nozzle 311, a middle rotating nozzle 313 and stationary nozzles 330 and 340 disposed on the lower portion of the washing tub 30.

[0101] The upper rotating nozzle 311 may be disposed above the upper portion of the upper basket 12a and may spray the washing water downward while being rotated. For this, spray holes 312 may be provided at the lower end of the nozzle 311. The upper rotating nozzle 311 may directly spray the washing water toward the dishes accommodated in the upper basket 12a.

[0102] The middle rotating nozzle 313 may be disposed between the upper basket 12a and the lower basket 12b and may spray the washing water upward and downward while the middle rotating nozzle is rotated by water pressure. For this, spray holes 314 may be provided at the upper and the lower ends. The middle rotating nozzle 313 may directly spray the washing water toward the dishes accommodated in the upper and the lower baskets 12a and 12b.

[0103] The stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may be provided immovably (i.e., the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may be disposed in a fixed position), unlike the rotating nozzles 311 and 313 and may be fixed on a side of the washing tub 30. The stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may be disposed approximately adjacent to the rear wall 32 of the washing tub 30 and may spray the washing water in a forward direction of the washing tub 30 (i.e., in a back to front direction). Thus, the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may not be directed directly toward the dishes.

[0104] The washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may be reflected toward the dish by the vane 400. The stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may be disposed below the lower basket 12b, and the vane 400 may reflect the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 in an upward direction (e.g., toward the upper wall 31). For example, the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may be reflected by the vane 400 toward the dishes accommodated in the lower basket 12b.

[0105] The stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may have a plurality of spray holes 331 and 341 arranged in a lateral direction of the washing tub 30, respectively. The plurality of spray holes 331 and 341 may spray the washing water in a forward direction. As shown in FIG. 2, there are three spray holes 331 and three spray holes 341. However, the disclosure is not so limited and there may be less than or more than three spray holes for each stationary nozzle. The spray holes may be evenly or regularly distributed, and/or may be of the same size, or the spray holes may be irregularly distributed, and/or may be of a different size.

[0106] The vane 400 may extend to run in the lateral direction of the washing tub 30 such that the vane 400 reflects all of the washing water sprayed from the plurality of spray holes 331 and 341 of the stationary nozzles 330 and 340. That is, one longitudinal end of the vane 400 may be adjacent to the left wall 33 of the washing tub 30 and the other longitudinal end of the vane 400 may be adjacent to the right wall 34 of the washing tub 30.

[0107] This vane 400 may reciprocate linearly in a direction of the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzles 330 and 340. That is, the vane 400 may reciprocate linearly in a forward-backward direction of the washing tub 30.

[0108] Accordingly, the linear spray structure including the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 and vane 400 may wash all regions of the washing tub 30 without a dead zone. This is different from the rotating nozzle which may only spray the washing water within a radius range of rotation the rotating nozzle.

[0109] The stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may include a left stationary nozzle 330 disposed at the left side of the washing tub 30 and a right stationary nozzle 340 disposed at the right side of the washing tub 30. However, the disclosure is not so limited and there may be more than two stationary nozzles disposed in the dish washing machine. Further, there may be more than two stationary nozzles which are disposed adjacent to one another.

[0110] As described below, the rotating nozzles 311 and 313 and the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may spray the washing water independently. Further, the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 may also spray the washing water independently.

[0111] The washing water sprayed from the left stationary nozzle 330 may be reflected only to the left region of the washing tub 30 by the vane 400 and the washing water sprayed from the right stationary nozzle 340 may be reflected only to the right region of the washing tub 30 by the vane 400

[0112] Accordingly, the dish washing machine may separately wash the left region and the right region independently. Of course, unlike this embodiment, the dish washing machine may subdivide the washing regions into a greater number of regions, if necessary, rather than dividing only into the left region and the right region. For example, there may be more than two stationary nozzles which are disposed adjacent to one another and the number of regions which are washed may correspond to the number of stationary nozzles (e.g., for the case of three stationary nozzles, there may be a left region, central region, and a right region). Alternatively, it may be possible that some of the wash water sprayed from a stationary nozzle of the dish washing machine 1 may be reflected by the vane into a region which is primarily washed by wash water sprayed from another nozzle and reflected by the vane.

[0113] Structures of the dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described below.

[0114] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a drive device illustrating a vane and a drive device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a belt and a belt holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a rail, a belt, a belt holder and a vane holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a rail, a belt, a drive pulley and a rear holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a rail, a belt, a drive pulley and a rear holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a rail, a belt, an idle pulley and a front holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a rail, a belt, an idle pulley and a front holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0115] Referring FIGS. 3 to 8, the vane and the drive device for driving the same according to an embodiment of the disclosure will be described.

[0116] The dish washing machine 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure may include the vane 400 for reflecting the washing water from the stationary nozzles 330 and 340. The vane 400 may linearly reciprocate in a direction of the washing water sprayed from the stationary spray nozzles 330 and 340.

[0117] The dish washing machine 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure may include the drive device 420 for linearly reciprocating the vane 400.

[0118] The drive device 420 may include a motor 530 configured to generate a driving force and a rail assembly 430 for guiding the movement of the vane 400.

[0119] The rail assembly 430 may include a rail 440 having an inner space 441 and configured to guide the movement of the vane 400, a drive pulley 500 connected to a motor 530 and rotated by the motor 530, a belt 520 connected to the drive pulley 500, rotated by the drive pulley and disposed in the inner space 441 of the rail 440, an idle pulley 510 connected to the belt 520 so as to rotationally support the belt 520, a belt holder 480 disposed in the inner space 441 of the rail 440 so as to linearly reciprocate by being coupled with the belt 520, a vane holder 490 disposed outside of the rail 440 and coupled with the vane 400 so as to linearly reciprocate by being coupled with the belt holder 480, a rear holder 450 for rotationally supporting the drive pulley 500 and for being coupled with a rear end of the rail 440, and a front holder 460 for rotationally supporting the idle pulley 510 and for being coupled with an front end of the rail 440.

[0120] The rail 440 may be formed of a metal material. The rail 440 may be provided such that it extends to run in a forward-backward direction in a middle region based on the left wall 33 and the right wall 34 of the washing tub 30.

[0121] The rail 440 may have a washing tubular shape with an opening 445 formed in an approximately lower portion of the rail. That is, the rail 440 may have the inner space 441, an upper wall 442, a lower wall 444, both side walls 443, and a lower opening 445 formed in the lower wall 444. The lower opening 445 may extend from one longitudinal end to the other longitudinal end of the rail 440.

[0122] In order to prevent the driving of the belt 520 from being interfered with by contact between the belt 520 and the washing tub 30 or in order to prevent the belt 520 from being corroded by contacting the washing water of the washing tub 30, the rail 440 may be provided in a washing tubular shape as described above such that the belt 520 is located within the inner space 441 of the rail 440.

[0123] Also, in order to transmit the driving force of the belt 520 to the vane 400 by connecting the belt 520 disposed in the inner space 441 of the rail 440 and the vane 400 provided on the outside of the rail 440, the opening 445 may be formed at the lower wall 444 of the rail 440.

[0124] The belt 520 forms a closed loop by being wound around the drive pulley 500 and the idle pulley 510 and may be rotated in a direction depending on a rotating direction of the motor 530 when the motor 530 drives (e.g., in a clockwise and/or counterclockwise direction). The belt 520 may be formed of a resin material containing aramid fibers in consideration of the tensile strength and the cost.

[0125] Teeth 521 for transmitting the driving force of the belt 520 to belt holder 480 may be formed at the inner side of the belt 520.

[0126] The belt holder 480 may be disposed in the inner space 441 similar to the belt 520 and may move together with the belt 520 while being coupled with the teeth 521 of the belt 520. To this end, the belt holder 480 may have a teeth coupling portion 481 for coupling with the teeth 521 of the belt 520.

[0127] In addition, the belt holder 480 may include legs 482 and 483 supported on the rail 440. The legs 482 and 483 may include at least one lateral leg 482 protruding in a lateral direction and being supported on the side wall 443 of the rail, and at least one lower leg 483 protruding downward and being supported on the lower wall 444 of the rail 440.

[0128] The lateral legs 482 may be elastically deformable and may be provided such that a noise or a vibration due to any collision and friction with the rail 440 during the movement of the belt holder 480 may be reduced and smooth movement of the belt holder 480 is allowed.

[0129] The lateral legs 482 may correspond to an elastic main body similar to a leaf spring. That is, the lateral legs 482 may include a curved plate elastically deformable between a relaxed shape and a compressed shape.

[0130] In addition, the belt holder 480 may have a fastener 484 for coupling with the vane holder 490. The fastener 484 may have a fastening hole 485 into which a fastening member 496 is inserted. The fastening member 496 may include one or more screws, for example. A fastening member may also include, for example, a bolt, a pin, a rivet, an anchor, and the like. For example, a washer may also be used together with the screws to secure the fastening member 496.

[0131] The vane holder 490 may move together with the belt holder 480 while being coupled with the same and may transmit a driving force of the belt holder 480 to the vane 400. The vane holder 490 may be provided to surround the outer surface of the rail 440.

[0132] The vane holder 490 may be coupled with the belt holder 480 through the opening 445 of the rail 440. To this end, the vane holder 490 may have a fastening hole 491 for coupling with the belt holder 480. Thus, the vane holder 490 and the belt holder 480 may be coupled together by fastening the fastening member 496 to the fastening hole 491 of the vane holder 490 and the fastening hole 485 of the belt holder 480.

[0133] The fastening member 496 may be fastened to the fastening hole 491 of the vane holder 490 and the fastening hole 485 of the belt holder 480 in the order described while the fastening member 496 advances upward.

[0134] A coupling protrusion 493 may be formed at the vane holder 490, wherein the vane 400 detachably couples with the coupling protrusion 493. The coupling protrusion 493 may include a coupling axis portion 494 protruding laterally and a detachment preventing member 495 formed at the end of the coupling axis portion 494 so as to prevent the detachment of the vane 400. With reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 12, the detachment preventing member 495 may have a greater diameter than coupling axis portion 494. The coupling protrusion 493 may be disposed on and protrude from one or both sides of the vane holder 490. The coupling protrusion 493 may protrude outward from the vane holder 490 toward the left and/or right sides of the washing tub 30.

[0135] The drive pulley 500 may include a rotating axis 501, a shaft connector 503 and a belt engagement 502 coupled with the belt 520, wherein the shaft connector 503 may be connected to a drive shaft 531 (see FIG. 32) of the motor 530 and may receive a driving force.

[0136] The rear holder 450 rotationally supports the drive pulley 500 and may be connected to the rear end of the rail 440. The rear holder 450 may include a pulley supporting surface 451 to support the rotating axis 501 of the drive pulley 500, a rail supporting surface 452 to support the end of the rail 440 and a fastening hole 453 to be coupled with a bottom plate cover 600.

[0137] The idle pulley 510 may include a rotating axis 511 and a belt coupling portion 512 to be coupled with the belt 520.

[0138] The front holder 460 may include a front top holder 461, a front bottom holder 465 to be coupled to the lower portion of the front top holder 461 and a pulley bracket 467, wherein the pulley bracket 467 may be disposed to be moved in a longitudinal direction of the rail 440 between the front top holder 461 and the front bottom holder 465 and rotationally supports the idle pulley 510.

[0139] The front top holder 461 may include a pulley supporting surface 462 to support the rotating axis 511 of the idle pulley 510 and a rail supporting surface 463 to support the front end of the rail 440.

[0140] The front bottom holder 465 may be coupled to the lower portion of the front top holder 461 by a hook structure. The front bottom holder 465 may have a coupling protrusion 466 to be coupled with the bottom plate 35 of the washing tub 30.

[0141] The pulley bracket 467 may include a pulley supporting surface 468 to support the rotating axis 511 of the idle pulley 510.

[0142] Meanwhile, the rail 440, the belt 520, the drive pulley 500, the rear holder 450, the idle pulley 510 and the front holder 460 may be assembled together by a tension of the belt 520.

[0143] That is, the drive pulley 500 may be pushed in a direction of approaching the rail 440 by a tension of the belt 520, and this force may be transmitted to the rear holder 450 via the pulley supporting surface 451 such that, as a result, the rear holder 450 closely couples with the rear end of the rail 440.

[0144] In addition, the idle pulley 510 may be pushed in a direction of approaching the rail 440 by a tension of the belt 520, and this force may be transmitted to the front holder 460 via the pulley supporting surface 462 of the front holder 460 such that, as a result, the front holder 460 closely couples with the front end of the rail 440.

[0145] Meanwhile, the front holder 460 may further include an elastic member 470 for maintaining the tension of the belt 520. This is because when the belt 520 is thermally expanded by heat from the inside of the washing tub 30, the belt is stretched such that the tension of the belt 520 is reduced, and accordingly, the vane 400 may not be driven easily.

[0146] One end of the elastic member 470 may be supported on the front holder 460, and the other end of the elastic member 470 may be supported on the pulley bracket 467. To this end, elastic supporting surfaces 464 and 469 may be formed at the front holder 460 and the pulley bracket 467, respectively.

[0147] The elastic member 470 may be a compression spring, for example. As the front holder 460 is supported on the rail 440 by the rail supporting surface 463, an elastic force of the elastic member 470 may act on the pulley bracket 467. That is, the pulley bracket 467 may be pushed in a direction away from the rail 440 by the elastic force.

[0148] At this time, as the pulley bracket 467 is pushed to be close to the rail 440, the pulley bracket 467 moves to a balanced position between the tension force of the belt 520 and the elastic force of the elastic member 470.

[0149] That is, when the elastic force of the elastic member 470 becomes greater than the tension force of the belt 520 which is reduced by a stretched belt, then the pulley bracket 467 moves in a direction away from the rail 440 due to the elastic force of the elastic member 470, and in the case of the pulley bracket 467 moving away from the rail 440, the tension force is recovered again by tightly tensioning the belt 520.

[0150] In this configuration, when the belt 520 has been stretched by thermal expansion, the tension force may be maintained constantly by pulling the belt 520 via a movement of the pulley bracket 467, thereby increasing the reliability of the drive device 420.

[0151] An example assembly of the rail assembly 430 of the dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described below. The below-described assembly operations may be performed sequentially in the order as described. However, the disclosure is not so limited.

[0152] As described in FIG. 4, the belt holder 480 may be coupled with the belt 520.

[0153] As described in FIG. 5, an assembly of the belt 520 and the belt holder 480 may be disposed in the inner space 441 of the rail 440. Next, the vane holder 490 may be coupled with the assembly of the belt 520 and the belt holder 480 via the fastening member 496.

[0154] As described in FIG. 6, the rear holder 450 may be assembled to the longitudinal rear end of the rail 440. Next, the drive pulley 500 may be coupled with the belt 520.

[0155] As described in FIG. 7, the front top holder 461 may be coupled with the longitudinal front end of the rail 440. Next, the belt 520, the idle pulley 510, the pulley bracket 467 and the elastic member 470 may be coupled. Next, an assembly of the belt 520, the idle pulley 510, the pulley bracket 467 and the elastic member 470 may be pushed into the front top holder 461. Next, the front bottom holder 465 may be coupled with the front top holder 461.

[0156] FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a vane and a vane holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view illustrating a vane and a portion of a vane holder of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0157] Referring FIGS. 10 to 12, the vane in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described below.

[0158] The vane 400 may be provided to extend in a direction perpendicular to the rail 440.

[0159] The vane 400 may include a reflector 401 for reflecting the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzles 330 and 340, an upper support 410 bent at the reflector 401, a rear support 411 bent at the upper support 410, a cap portion 404 provided at a longitudinal middle of the reflector 401, a rotation locking portion 409 provided to interfere with a rotation guide 610 (see FIG. 32) of a bottom plate cover 600, a reinforcement rib 414 provided to reinforce a strength of the reflector 401, the upper support 410 and the rear support 411, a horizontal support 412 supported on the upper side of the vane holder 490, and a vertical support 413 supported on the lateral side of the vane holder 490.

[0160] The reflector 401 may include reflecting surfaces 402a and 402b provided to be inclined to reflect the washing water. The surfaces 402a and 402b may include the reflecting surface 402a and the reflecting surface 402b, wherein the reflecting surface 402a and the reflecting surface 402 are alternately arranged at different inclinations along the longitudinal direction to have different reflection angles from each other. As shown in FIG. 10 there may be three reflection surfaces 402b, however the disclosure is not so limited. For example, there may be no reflection surfaces 402b, one, two, or more than three reflection surfaces 402b.

[0161] The cap portion 404 may include a coupling groove 405 to be coupled with the vane holder 490, and a rotation stopper 408, wherein the rotation stopper 408 limits a range of rotation of the vane 400 while the vane 400 is rotated by the rotation guide 610 of the bottom plate cover 600.

[0162] A coupling protrusion 493 of the vane holder 490 may be coupled with a coupling groove 405 of the vane 400. Specifically, the coupling axis portion 494 of the coupling protrusion 493 may be inserted into the coupling groove 405. The coupling axis portion 494 may rotationally support the vane 400.

[0163] As described in FIG. 10, the coupling groove 405 of the vane 400 may be formed of elastic hooks 407. The elastic hooks 407 may more or less be deformed while the coupling axis portion 494 is pushed into or pulled from the coupling groove 405 and may be restored to their original shapes after the pushing into or the pulling out is completed. In the configuration, the vane 400 may be mounted onto or detached from the vane holder 490.

[0164] Rollers 415 to enable the movement of the vane 400 to be easier may be provided at the both longitudinal ends of the vane 400. A roller support 39 (see FIG. 51) to support the rollers 415 may be provided at the bottom plate 35 of the washing tub 30.

[0165] FIG. 13 is a view illustrating a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, wherein a plurality of vanes are disposed in the dish washing machine.

[0166] As described in FIG. 13, a vane 700 may be divided into a plurality of vanes. Each vane 700 may be driven independently. The vanes 700 may couple separately with a drive device 713 to be driven independently. In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, the rail 712 may be provided in the same number as that of the plurality of vanes and each rail may couple with the vane independently. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a first rail 712a may correspond to a first vane 701 and a second rail 712b may correspond to a second vane 702. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a first device 713a may correspond to a first vane 701 and a second device 713b may correspond to a second vane 702. Accordingly, each vane 700 may be driven independently. That is, a first vane 701 and a second vane 702 may be driven at different speeds and/or different directions, respectively. Also, the amount of the washing water sprayed from a stationary nozzle assembly 720 may be varied such that a degree of washing in a region washed by the first vane 701 and that of a region washed by the second vane 702 may be different from each other. Thus, the plurality of vanes 700 may wash the inside of the washing tub by dividing the inside thereof. As shown in FIG. 13, the rails 712a and 712b extend from a position near the rear wall to the front of the dish washing machine. Further, it may be seen that the rail 712a may be disposed between two spray holes of the left stationary nozzle of the stationary nozzle assembly 720 (e.g., between the two spray holes of the left stationary nozzle closest to the center of the rear wall) and the rail 712b may be disposed between two spray holes of the right stationary nozzle of the stationary nozzle assembly 720 (e.g., between the two spray holes of the right stationary nozzle closest to the center of the rear wall).

[0167] FIG. 14 is a view schematically illustrating a movement of the plurality of vanes of the dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0168] As described in FIG. 14, the vane 720 may move to be connected and interlocked with a belt 730 by a drive pulley 731 and an idle pulley 732.

[0169] The vane 720 may move by a pressure of the washing water sprayed from a stationary nozzle assembly 740. That is, the first vane 721 may move away from the stationary nozzle assembly 740 in a direction D1 by the pressure of the washing water, and the second vane 722 connected to the first vane 721 by the belt 730 may move in a second direction D2 opposite to the first direction D1. At this time, as the washing water is not sprayed from the stationary nozzle assembly 740 facing the second vane 722, the second vane 722 may move by being interlocked with the movement of the first vane 721. A control of the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzle assembly 740 may be made using a distribution device described below.

[0170] FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a structure of the dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, and FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a structure of a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0171] As described in FIGS. 15 and 16, a vane 800 and a rotating nozzle 830 disposed in a washing tub may wash dishes. The rotating nozzle 830 may be disposed in a lower portion of the dish washing machine and may spray washing water in an upward direction toward the lower basket 12b while being rotated. A region in which a dish is washed by washing water which is sprayed from a stationary nozzle assembly 820 and then is reflected at the vane 800 disposed on rail 801 is defined as a first region, and a region in which the dish is washed by washing water sprayed from the rotating nozzle 830 is defined as a second region. The first region and the second region may be washed independently of each other. The first region and the second region may not overlap, but the disclosure is not limited to this, thus the regions may at least partly overlap each other. As an example, the second region may be fixed, but the first region may be adjusted depending on a degree of movement of the vane, such that when the vane 800 is moved into the second region to wash the dish, there may be an overlapped portion of the first region and the second region. Since the overlapped portion of the first region and the second region may have a strong washing power, it will be advantageous to locate a dish having a greater amount of contaminants in the overlapped region.

[0172] In addition, a plurality of rotating nozzles 930 may be provided, as described in FIG. 16. The rotating nozzles 930 may be disposed in a lower portion of the dish washing machine and may spray washing water in an upward direction toward the lower basket 12b while being rotated. A region washed by washing water which is sprayed from a stationary nozzle assembly 920 and reflected by a vane 900 disposed on rail 901 is defined as a first region, a region washed by a first rotating nozzle 931 is defined as a second region, and a region washed by a third rotating nozzle 932 is defined as a third region. At this time, it is also possible to control the first, the second and the third regions to be overlapped or not to be overlapped. For example, some of the regions may be overlapped with one another and one region may not overlap with the other regions, all of the regions may overlap with at least one other region, all of the regions may overlap with every other regions, etc. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, providing additional rotating nozzles may necessitate additional outlets to be disposed on the distribution device 200 (discussed below) and/or connection hoses to supply washing water to the plurality of rotating nozzles 930. However, the disclosure is not so limited, and other methods of supply washing water to the plurality of rotating nozzles 930 may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the rail 801, 901 does not extend from a position near the rear wall to the front of the dish washing machine, but instead extends from a position near the rear wall to a central portion of the bottom plate 35 which is adjacent to an outer circumferential portion of the rotary nozzle(s) 830, 930. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, aspects of the features shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 may be implemented in FIGS. 15 and 16. For example, a plurality of vanes may be disposed (e.g., on different rails and/or on a belt) together with one or more rotating nozzles.

[0173] FIG. 17 is a view illustrating a structure of a flow passage of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 18 is an exploded view illustrating a stationary nozzle assembly of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a stationary nozzle assembly of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0174] Referring to FIGS. 17 to 19, an operation, a flow passage structure, a structure of a stationary nozzle assembly and a distribution structure of a washing water of a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described below.

[0175] The dish washing machine may have a water supply operation, a washing operation, a drain operation and a dry operation, for example.

[0176] In the water supply operation, the washing water may be supplied into the inside of the washing tub 30 through a supply pipe (not shown). The washing water being supplied to the washing tub 30 may flow to a sump 100 disposed at a lower portion of the washing tub 30 by a gradient of a bottom plate 35 of the washing tub 30 and may be accumulated within the sump 100.

[0177] In the washing operation, the circulating pump 51 may be operated to pump the washing water from the sump 100. The washing water pumped by the circulating pump 51 may be distributed to the rotating nozzles 311 and 313, the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 via the distribution device 200. The washing water may be sprayed from the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 at high pressure by a pumping power of the circulating pump 51, thereby washing the dishes.

[0178] Herein, the washing water may be supplied from the distribution device 200 to the upper rotating nozzle 311 and the middle rotating nozzle 313 through a second hose 271b. The washing water may be supplied from the distribution device 200 to the left stationary nozzle 330 through a first hose 271a. The washing water may be supplied from the distribution device 200 to the right stationary nozzle 340 through a third hose 271c.

[0179] In the example embodiment of FIG. 17, the distribution device 200 may have a total of four distribution modes.

[0180] In a first mode, the distribution device 200 only supplies the washing water to the rotating nozzles 311 and 313 through the second hose 271b.

[0181] In a second mode, the distribution device 200 only supplies the washing water to the right stationary nozzle 340 through the third hose 271c.

[0182] In a third mode, the distribution device 200 only supplies the washing water to the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 through the first hose 271a and the third hose 271c.

[0183] In a fourth mode, the distribution device 200 only supplies the washing water to the left stationary nozzle 330 through the first hose 271a.

[0184] Of course, the distribution device 200 may also have more or less distribution modes than the distribution modes discussed above.

[0185] The washing water sprayed from the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 may strike the dish, remove the contaminants from the dish, fall with the contaminants and be accumulated in the sump 100 again. The circulating pump 51 may repeatedly start and stop several times during the washing operations. In this course, the contaminants falling into the sump 100 together with the washing water may be trapped by a filter installed at the sump 100 such that the contaminants remain in the sump 100 without being circulated to the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340.

[0186] In the drain operation, the drain pump 52 may operate such that the washing water and the contaminants remaining in the sump 100 are drained from the main body 10.

[0187] In the dry operation, a heater (not shown) mounted in the washing tub 30 may operate to dry the dish.

[0188] The structures of the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 will be described in detail below.

[0189] The left stationary nozzle 330 may include one or more spray holes 331 to spray the washing water, a nozzle flow passage 332 to supply the washing water to the spray holes 331, a nozzle inlet 333 to introduce the washing water to the nozzle flow passage 332, a nozzle main body 334 defining its appearance, a nozzle cover 335 coupled with the rear portion of the nozzle main body 334 to form the nozzle flow passage 332, a decoration member 336 coupled with the front portion of the nozzle main body 334, and a coupling hole 337 formed in the nozzle main body 334 to couple the left stationary nozzle 330 with the bottom plate cover 600 (see FIG. 34) described below.

[0190] The right stationary nozzle 340 may include spray holes 341 to spray the washing water, a nozzle flow passage 342 to supply the washing water to the spray holes 341, a nozzle inlet 343 to introduce the washing water to the nozzle flow passage 342, a nozzle main body 344 defining its appearance, a nozzle cover 345 coupled with the rear portion of the nozzle main body 344 to form the nozzle flow passage 342, a decoration member 346 coupled with the front portion of the nozzle main body 344, and a fastening hole 347 formed in the nozzle main body 334 to couple the right stationary nozzle 340 with the bottom plate cover 600 described below. As may be seen from FIG. 19, the coupling hole 337 of the left stationary nozzle 330 may be disposed adjacent to the fastening hole 347 of the right stationary nozzle 340.

[0191] Herein, the nozzle main body 334 of the left stationary nozzle 330 and the nozzle main body 344 of the right stationary nozzle 340 may be integrally formed as one unit. Accordingly, the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 may be one unit.

[0192] When the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 are provided as one unit as described above, arranging the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 horizontally may be achieved easily, and coupling the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 with the bottom plate cover 600 may be accomplished easily.

[0193] The stationary nozzle assembly 320 may include the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340. A nozzle assembly 300 (see FIG. 34) may include the stationary nozzle assembly 320, the upper rotating nozzle 311 and the middle rotating nozzle 313.

[0194] FIG. 20 is a view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 21 is an exploded view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 22 is an exploded view illustrating a structure of an opening and closing member of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 24 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion A of FIG. 23.

[0195] Referring FIGS. 20 to 24, a dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described.

[0196] The distribution device 200 may have a roughly cylindrical or pipe or tubular shape.

[0197] The distribution device 200 may include a housing 210 having a roughly hollow cylindrical shape and forming an exterior, an opening and closing member 220 rotationally disposed in the housing 210, a motor 230 to rotate the opening and closing member 220, a support member 260 to support the motor 230 and the housing 210, a cam member 240 coupled with the motor and the opening and closing member 220 to be rotated together with the opening and closing member 220, and a micro switch 250 contacting the cam member 240 for detecting a rotational position of the opening and closing member 220.

[0198] The housing 210 may be disposed longitudinally along both side walls 33 and 34 (see FIG. 2) of the washing tub 30. Hereafter, a longitudinal direction of the housing 210 is referred to as a direction of axis. An inlet 211 for introducing the washing water into the housing 210 may be formed at one end of the housing in the direction of the axis. The motor 230 may be disposed at the other end of the housing in the direction of the axis.

[0199] Specifically, the inlet 211 may be disposed to face the right wall 34 of the washing tub 30. As the inlet 211 is connected to the circulating pump 51, when the circulating pump 51 is operated, the washing water accumulated in the sump 100 may be introduced into the inside of the housing through the inlet 211.

[0200] A plurality of outlets 212a, 212b and 212c may be formed on a circumference of the housing 210. The plurality of outlets 212a, 212b and 212c may be arranged at regular intervals (evenly or equally spaced) along the direction of axis. The plurality of outlets 212a, 212b and 212c include a first outlet 212a, a second outlet 212b and a third outlet 212c. Alternatively, the plurality of outlets may be arranged at irregular intervals (spaced apart from one another by different distances). Additionally, or alternatively, the plurality of outlets may have the same or different diameters through which wash water flows.

[0201] Herein, the plurality of outlets 212a, 212b and 212c may be disposed to face the rear wall 32 (see FIG. 2). As the housing 210 of the distribution device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure may have a cylindrical shape, the housing 210 may be disposed longitudinally in a direction of both side walls 33 and 34, and the opening and closing member 220 may have a structure to open and close the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c while being rotated about the direction of axis of the housing 210, and the plurality of outlets 212a, 212b and 212c may be disposed to face the rear wall of the washing tub 30.

[0202] To explain further, in the related art the outlets may be established on the upper portion of the distribution device, since the distribution device commonly used in the dish washing machine of the related art has a housing formed in a hemispheric shape and an opening and closing device of a planar disc type is provided to be rotated on the upper portion of the housing.

[0203] As described above, as the distribution device 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure has the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c disposed to face the rear wall 32 of the washing tub 30, the distribution device 200 has an advantage in that there is reduced pressure loss of the washing water supplied to the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 disposed adjacent to the rear wall 32 of the washing tub.

[0204] This is because the flow passage connecting the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c to the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 may be formed without a sharp bend.

[0205] In contrast, when the distribution device having outlets disposed to face an upper side of the distribution device of the related art is applied to the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, there is a great pressure loss due to the fact of the flow passage connected to the outlets having to be bent rearward at a beginning thereof.

[0206] The first outlet 212a, the second outlet 212b and the third outlet 212c may be arranged from the left to the right of the washing tub 30 in the order described.

[0207] That is, the first outlet 212a may be relatively close to the left stationary nozzle 330, the third outlet 212c may be disposed to be relatively close to the right stationary nozzle 340, and the second outlet 212b may be disposed in the middle thereof.

[0208] The first outlet 212a may be connected to the left stationary nozzle 330 via the first hose 271a. The second outlet 212b may be connected to the rotating nozzles 311 and 313 via the second hose 271b. The third outlet 212c may be connected to the right stationary nozzle 340 via the third hose 271c.

[0209] As described above, because the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c may be connected to one of the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 located relatively close thereto, respectively, lengths of the hoses 271a, 271b and 271c may be shortened, the hoses 271a, 271b and 271c may not be tangled, and the pressure loss of the washing water may be reduced.

[0210] The housing 210 may have a sump coupling portion 123 to be coupled with the sump 100, and the sump 100 may have a distribution device coupling portion 109 (see FIG. 17) to be coupled with the sump coupling portion 123. For example, the sump coupling portion 123 may be formed in a groove shape, and the distribution device coupling portion 109 may be formed in a protrusion shape. As the sump coupling portion 123 and the distribution device coupling portion 109 are coupled, the positions of the sump coupling portion 123 and the distribution device coupling portion 109 may be arranged.

[0211] The opening and closing member 220 may selectively open and close the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c while being rotated based on an axis of the housing 210 in the inside of the housing 210. Accordingly, the opening and closing member 220 substantially serves to distribute the washing water to the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340.

[0212] The opening and closing member 220 may have a roughly hollow cylindrical shape. The opening and closing member 220 may include a rotating body 221 to be rotated in the inside of the housing 210 and sealing members 225 coupled to the rotating body 221 to close the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c.

[0213] Through holes 222 may be formed at a circumference of the rotating body 221. When the through holes 222 are located to correspond to the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c, the through holes 222 allow the washing water to be discharged to the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c. The through holes may be circular in shape, for example. However, the disclosure is not so limited and the through holes may be differently shaped (e.g., oval, square, triangular, etc.).

[0214] In addition, spacing protrusions 224 to separate an inner circumferential surface of the housing 210 and an outer circumferential surface of the housing 210 by a distance may be formed at the circumference of the rotating body 221 such that the opening and closing member 220 may rotate smoothly by minimizing a friction between the opening and closing member 220 and the housing 210 while the opening and closing member 220 rotates in the inside of the housing 210. As shown in FIG. 22, spacing protrusions 224 may be provided at both ends of the opening/closing member 220 and at one or more positions between the ends of the opening/closing member 220.

[0215] In addition, latching holes 223 to be coupled with the sealing members 225 may be formed at the circumference of the rotating body 221. The latching holes 223 may be coupled with latching protrusions 227 of the sealing members 225. The latching holes 223 may have other shapes depending on the shape of the latching protrusions 227 of the sealing member 225.

[0216] As an example, the central latching hole 223 may have a roughly cross shape, and latching holes 223 on both sides thereof may have a rod shape. Likewise, the central latching protrusion 227 of the sealing member 225 may have a roughly cross shape, and latching protrusions 227 on both sides thereof may have a rod shape. Alternatively, the sealing member 225 in the center may have latching holes and latching protrusions with a straight shape and the other sealing members may have latching holes and latching protrusions with cross shapes. Alternatively, different shapes may be used.

[0217] One reason for being formed differently is to identify the sealing member 225 to be coupled at the center and the sealing members 225 to be coupled at both sides using different shapes thereof.

[0218] One of both axial ends of the rotating body 221 corresponding to the inlet 211 of the housing is opened. A cam shaft coupling portion 229 to be coupled with a cam shaft of the cam member 240 may be provided at the other end of both axial ends of the rotating body 221.

[0219] The sealing members 225 couple with the circumference surface of the rotating body 221 to close the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c. The sealing members 225 couple with the latching holes 223 of the rotating body 221. The sealing members 225 couple with the latching holes 223 of the rotating body 221 with a possibility to move a distance in a radial direction. This is for enhancing a sealing effect of the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c by closely contacting the sealing members 225 with the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c.

[0220] That is, the sealing members 225 move between an open position in which the sealing members 225 closely contact the rotating body 221 and a closed position in which the sealing members 225 closely contact the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c. When the washing water is introduced into the inside of the housing, the sealing members 225 may naturally move from the open position to the closed position. Thus, the sealing force may be enhanced, thereby increasing the reliability of the distribution device 200.

[0221] The sealing member 225 may include a sealing portion 226 (see FIG. 22) and the latching protrusion 227. For example, the sealing portion 226 may have a curved shape when the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c are closely contacted thereto, and the latching protrusion 227 may protrude at the sealing portion 226 to be inserted into the latching hole 223 of the rotating body 221.

[0222] The latching protrusion 227 and the latching hole 223 may be provided to be spaced apart from each other such that the sealing member 225 may move in the radial direction. Alternatively, a stopper portion 228 having a diameter greater than that of the latching hole 223 may be formed at the end of the latching protrusion 227 in order to prevent the sealing member 225 from being completely removed from the latching hole 223.

[0223] The sealing member 225 may be formed of a resin material and as one unit. The sealing member 225 and the latching protrusion 227 may be assembled together with the rotating body 221 in a manner that the latching protrusion 227 is forced strongly to be inserted into the latching hole 223, and after the assembly, a stopper portion 228 may be latched at the latching hole 223 such that the stopper portion 228 may not be separated without a manual force being applied.

[0224] FIG. 25 is a side view illustrating a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 26 is an enlarged view illustrating a cam member of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 27 is a view illustrating relations between on and off times of a micro switch of a distribution device and a position of an opening and closing member of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 28 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which a washing water is distributed to rotating nozzles only with a second outlet being open, FIG. 29 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which a washing water is distributed to right stationary nozzles only with a third outlet being open, FIG. 30 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which a washing water is distribute to left stationary nozzles and right stationary nozzles only with a first outlet and the third outlet being open, and FIG. 31 is a view illustrating an operation of a distribution device of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, in which a washing water is distributed to left stationary nozzles only with a first outlet being open.

[0225] Referring FIGS. 25 to 31, an operation of the distribution device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described below.

[0226] When the motor 230 is actuated, a rotating force may be transmitted to the cam member 240 via motor shaft 231, and then the cam member 240 is rotated. The motor 230 may be a one-directional motor rotating in one direction, for example.

[0227] For convenience, based on FIG. 25, it is assumed that the cam member 240 rotates about a center of rotation 242 in a clockwise direction. When the cam member 240 rotates, the opening and closing member 220 rotate together with the cam member 240 by a rotating force transmitted to the opening and closing member 220 via the cam shaft 241. Alternatively, it may be arranged such that the cam member 240 may rotate in a counterclockwise direction.

[0228] A contact terminal 251 of the micro switch 250 may be disposed at the cam member 240 to contact it. The cam member 240 may include convex portions 243a, 243b and 243c protruding in a radial direction to make the micro switch 250 to be turned on and off and concave portions 244a, 244b and 244c recessed in a radial direction.

[0229] The convex portions 243a, 243b and 243c may include a first convex portion 243a, a second convex portion 243b and a third convex portion 243c arranged counter clockwise in the order described, and the concave portions 244a, 244b and 244c may include a first concave portion 244a, a second concave portion 244b and a third concave portion 244c arranged counter clockwise in the order described. As shown in FIG. 26, the concave portions may be arranged alternately with the convex portions.

[0230] It is assumed that the micro switch 250 is turned on when the contact terminal 251 contacts the convex portions 243a, 243b and 243c of the cam member 240, and the micro switch 250 is turned off when the contact terminal contacts the concave portions 244a, 244b and 244c of the cam member 240. Thus, when the motor 230 is driven, the micro switch 250 may be turned on and off alternately.

[0231] Meanwhile, the distribution device 200 designates the positions of the opening and closing member 220 depending on the turn on and turn off times of the micro switch 250, and a controller may be further provided, wherein the controller controls the motor 230 to rotate or stop to rotate the opening and closing member 220 to a desired certain rotational position of the designated rotational positions. The controller may be configured with an electronic circuit.

[0232] As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 27, six rotational positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and P6 of the opening and closing member 220 may be designated.

[0233] The controller may designate a rotational position at which the micro switch 250 having been turned on for 5 seconds and then turned off as a first rotational position P1 of the rotational positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and P6 of the opening and closing member 220.

[0234] In an example embodiment, as there is only one time at which the micro switch 250 has been turned on for 5 seconds and then turned off, a period of the micro switch 250 being turned on for 5 seconds may be a reference reset period.

[0235] Also, a rotational position of the opening and closing member 220 at which the micro switch 250 has been turned on for 5 seconds, turned off for 5 seconds and turned on again may be designated as a second rotational position P2.

[0236] In this manner, the first to the sixth rotational positions P1 to P6 may be designated.

[0237] At the six rotational positions P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and P6 of the opening and closing member 220, the contact terminal 251 of the micro switch 250 may be located at contact terminal positions T1, T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 shown in FIG. 26, respectively.

[0238] Such information about the rotational position of the opening and closing member 220 depending on the on and off times of the micro switch 250 may be stored in a ROM in advance.

[0239] In addition, information about opening of the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c of the distribution device 200 depending on the rotational position of the opening and closing member 220 and information about spraying of the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 depending on the opening and closing of the outlets 212a, 212b and 212c may be stored in a memory (for example in a ROM) in advance.

[0240] Therefore, when a user inputs or selects specific spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340 which are desired to be used, the controller may determine which outlets 212a, 212b and 212c should be opened or closed according to the determination, and thereby a certain rotational position of the opening and closing member 220 may be determined.

[0241] The controller may control the motor 230 driven to rotate the opening and closing member 220 to the certain rotational position determined in advance, and control the motor 230 to stop when the opening and closing member 220 is rotated to the certain position determined.

[0242] In an example embodiment, when the opening and closing member 220 is at the first rotational position P1, as shown in FIG. 28, only the second outlet 212b may be open, and thus the washing water may be distributed to the rotating nozzles 311 and 313 only.

[0243] When the opening and closing member 220 is at the second rotational position P2, as shown in FIG. 29, only the third outlet 212c may be open, and thus the washing water may be distributed to the right stationary nozzle 340 only.

[0244] The third and the fourth rotational positions P3 and P4 of the opening and closing member 220 may not be used.

[0245] When the opening and closing member 220 is at the fifth rotational position P5, as shown in FIG. 30, only the first outlet 212a and the third outlet 212c may be open, and thus the washing water may be distributed to the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340 only.

[0246] When the opening and closing member 220 is at the sixth rotational position P6, as shown in FIG. 31, only the first outlet 212a may be open, and thus the washing water may be distributed to the left stationary nozzle 330 only.

[0247] FIG. 32 is an exploded view illustrating a bottom plate, a bottom plate cover and a motor of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a bottom plate, a bottom plate cover and a motor of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 34 is an exploded view illustrating a vane, a rail assembly, a distribution nozzle assembly and a bottom plate cover of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0248] Referring FIGS. 32 to 34, the bottom plate cover of the dish washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure will be described.

[0249] The dish washing machine 1 may include the bottom plate cover 600 coupled with a rear side of the bottom plate 35 of the washing tub 30.

[0250] The bottom plate cover 600 serves to seal flow passage passing holes 38 and a motor passing hole 37 formed in the bottom plate 35, to support a motor 530 for driving the vane 400, and to fix the nozzle assembly 300.

[0251] Herein, as described above, the nozzle assembly 300 may include the upper rotating nozzle 311, the middle rotating nozzle 313, the left stationary nozzle 330 and the right stationary nozzle 340.

[0252] The rail assembly 430 serves to guide the movement of the vane 400, and its configuration will be described in detail below.

[0253] The bottom plate protrusion 36 may be protruded to be coupled with the bottom plate cover 600 and may be formed at the rear side of the bottom plate 35. The motor passing hole 37 through which the motor 530 for driving the vane 400 passes, and the flow passage passing hole 38 through which the flow passage connecting the nozzle assembly 300 and the distribution device 200 (see FIG. 34) passes may be formed at the bottom plate protrusion 36.

[0254] The motor 530 may be mounted onto the bottom surface of the bottom plate cover 600, and when the bottom plate cover 600 is removed from the bottom plate 35, the motor 530 may be withdrawn together with the bottom plate cover 600 through the motor passing hole 37.

[0255] Specifically, hose connectors of the bottom plate cover 600 may pass through the flow passage passing hole 38.

[0256] The bottom plate cover 600 may include a shaft passing hole 640 through which the drive shaft 531 of the motor passes, the hose connectors protruding downward to be respectively coupled with the hoses 271a, 271b and 271c extending from the distribution device and being inserted into the respective flow passage passing holes 38 of the bottom plate protrusion 36, nozzle inlet connectors 651a, 651b and 651c protruding upward to be coupled with the inlets 315, 333 and 343 of the nozzle assembly 300, fastening holes 620 to fix the nozzle assembly 300 and the rail assembly 430, and a rotation guide 610 protruding to guide the rotation of the vane 400. As shown in FIGS. 32 and 33 hose connectors 652b and 652c correspond to hoses 271b and 271c. An additional hose connector which is not visible in the drawings also corresponds to hose 271a and is disposed below nozzle inlet connector 651a.

[0257] The bottom plate cover 600 may be closely coupled with an upper side of the bottom plate protrusion 36. Fixing caps 680 may couple with the respective hose connectors of the bottom plate cover 600 such that the bottom plate cover 600 may be fixed to the bottom plate protrusion 36.

[0258] A sealing member 670 may be disposed between the bottom plate cover 600 and the bottom plate protrusion 36 such that the washing water in the washing tub 30 does not leak out through the motor passing hole 37 of the bottom plate protrusion 36 and the flow passage passing holes 38. The sealing member 670 may be formed of rubber materials, for example.

[0259] A motor mount 630 on which the motor 530 to drive the vane 400 is mounted may be provided at the bottom surface of the bottom plate cover 600. The drive shaft 531 of the motor 530 may protrude into the inside of the washing tub 30 through the shaft passing hole 640 of the bottom plate cover 600. The drive pulley 500 (see FIG. 3) described above may be coupled with the drive shaft 531 of the motor 530 to be rotated together with the drive shaft 531.

[0260] A sealing member 660 may be disposed at the shaft passing hole 640 such that the washing water in the washing tub 30 does not leak out through the shaft passing hole 640. The sealing member 660 may be a mechanical sealing member, and the mechanical sealing member may allow the sealing and the smooth rotation of the drive shaft 531 to be achieved simultaneously.

[0261] The upper surface of the bottom plate cover 600 may be provided to be inclined at an angle .theta. (see FIG. 33) based on a reference horizontal plane H (see FIG. 33).

[0262] This is to prevent contaminants from being accumulated on the bottom plate cover 600, or the contaminants from moving toward the stationary spray nozzles 330 and 340. In the dish washing machine 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, as the stationary nozzles 330 and 340 do not move unlike the rotating nozzles 311 and 313, there is a problem in that contaminants may remain and accumulate therein, but the problem may be avoided by the above structure.

[0263] Preferably, the inclination angle .theta. between the upper side of the bottom plate cover 600 and the reference horizontal plane H is about 3.degree. or greater.

[0264] In addition, the end of the bottom plate cover 600 may be disposed to be separated by a gap S (see FIG. 33) from the bottom plate 35. This is because closely contacting the bottom plate cover 600 and the bottom plate 35 is difficult due to potential errors in manufacturing and assembling operations, and that it is advantageous to prevent contaminants from being trapped in a fine gap formed between the end of the bottom plate cover 600 and the bottom plate 35. It is preferable that the gap S between the bottom plate cover 600 and the bottom plate 35 be about 5 mm or greater.

[0265] The rail assembly 430 and the nozzle assembly 300 may couple with the bottom plate cover 600. The bottom plate cover 600, the rail assembly 430 and the nozzle assembly 300 may be securely fixed to each other by the fastening member 690. For this, the fastening holes 620, 453, 337, and 347 may be formed at the corresponding positions of the bottom plate cover 600, the rail assembly 430, and the nozzle assembly 300, respectively. The fastening member 690 may include one or more screws, for example. A fastening member may additionally or alternatively include, for example, a bolt, a pin, a rivet, an anchor, an adhesive, and the like.

[0266] By this structure, the rail assembly 430 and the nozzle assembly 300 may be fixed to each other and mutually aligned.

[0267] In the dish washing machine 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, since the washing water sprayed from the stationary spray nozzles 330 and 340 of the nozzle assembly 300 may be directed to the dishes by being reflected by the vane 400 coupled with the rail assembly 430, and not by being directed to the dish directly, a correct positional arrangement is needed or preferred, and the coupling structure described above may meet the need or preference.

[0268] FIGS. 35 to 37 are views illustrating operations in which a vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1 rotates, FIG. 38 is a view illustrating an operation in which a vane reflects a washing water in a movable range of the vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 39 is a view illustrating an operation in which a vane reflects a washing water in an immovable range of the vane of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0269] Referring to FIGS. 35 to 39, the movable range of the vane, the immovable range of the vane and the rotating operation will be described below.

[0270] In the dish washing machine 1 in accordance an the embodiment of the disclosure, the vane 400 may reflect the washing water sprayed from the stationary spray nozzles 330 and 340 toward the dishes. As the stationary spray nozzles 330 and 340 spray the washing water in a substantially horizontal direction, the stationary spray nozzles 330 and 340 and the vane 400 may be mutually disposed in the roughly horizontal direction. Accordingly, the vane 400 may not move to a region in which the stationary spray nozzles 330 and 340 are disposed.

[0271] That is, the dish washing machine 1 has a vane movable region I1 in which the vane 400 may move and a vane immovable region I2 in which the vane 400 may not move.

[0272] The vane 400 of the dish washing machine 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure may be made to rotate to wash the dishes accommodated in the vane immovable region I2.

[0273] As described above, the rotation guide 610 protruding to guide the movement of the vane 400 may be formed at the bottom plate cover 600, and the rotation locking portion 409 may be formed at the vane 400 to interfere with the rotation guide 610. The rotation locking portion 409 may be formed above the coupling protrusion 493 of the vane holder 490 which forms the rotation axis of the vane and may simultaneously transmit the driving force to the vane 400.

[0274] The rotation guide 610 may include a guide surface 611 which is contacted by the rotation locking portion 409 and may be formed to allow the vane to rotate smoothly.

[0275] When the vane 400 reaches to the vane immovable region I2 from the vane movable region I1, once the rotation locking portion 409 of the vane 400 interferes with the guide surface 611 of the rotation guide 610 of the bottom plate cover 600, the vane 400 rotates about the coupling protrusion 493 of the vane holder 490. Thus, the washing water may be reflected toward the dishes in the immovable region I2. For example, when the vane 400 moves toward the rear wall 32 and the rotation locking portion 409 of the vane 400 is interfered with the guide surface 611 of the rotation guide 610, the vane 400 may rotate forward or toward the rear wall 32. Due to the rotation of the vane 400, the direction or angle of the wash water which is reflected by the vane 400 may be changed compared to the direction or angle of the wash water which is reflected by the vane 400 before the rotation locking portion 409 of the vane 400 is interfered with the guide surface 611 of the rotation guide 610.

[0276] FIG. 40 is a view illustrating a sump, a coarse filter and a fine filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 41 is an exploded view illustrating a sump, a coarse filter, a fine filter and a micro filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 42 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 40, FIG. 43 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion B of FIG. 42, FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 43, FIG. 45 is an enlarged view illustrating a portion C of FIG. 44, FIG. 46 is a plan view illustrating a sump and a coarse filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, wherein a locking operation of a coarse filter is illustrated, FIG. 47 is a side view illustrating a coarse filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 48 is a view illustrating a sump and a coarse filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, wherein a locking operation of a coarse filter is illustrated, FIG. 49 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a sump, a coarse filter and a micro filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, FIG. 50 is an enlarged plan view illustrating a coarse filter and a portion of a micro filter of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1, and FIG. 51 is a plan view illustrating a bottom of the dish washing machine of FIG. 1.

[0277] The dish washing machine 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure may include the sump 100 to accumulate the washing water, the circulating pump 51 to circulate the washing water in the sump 100 to the spray nozzles 311, 313, 330 and 340, the drain pump 52 to discharge the washing water together with contaminants from the sump 100, and filters 120, 130 and 140 to filtrate contaminants contained in the washing water.

[0278] A drainage hole 50 (see FIG. 51) to drain the washing water to the sump 100 may be formed at the bottom plate 35 of the washing tub 30, and the bottom plate 35 of the washing tub 30 may have an inclination such that the washing water is guided to the drainage hole 50 by its weight.

[0279] The sump 100 may have a hemispheric shape with a roughly opened upper surface. The sump 100 may include a bottom 101, a side wall 103, a accumulating chamber 110 being formed between the bottom 101 and the side wall 103 for accumulating the washing water, a circulating port 107 connected to the circulating pump 51, and a drain port 108 connected to the drain pump 52.

[0280] The filters 120, 130 and 140 may include a fine filter 120 installed in the drainage hole 50, a coarse filter 140 installed in the sump 100 and micro filter 130.

[0281] The coarse filter 140 may have a roughly cylindrical shape. The coarse filter 140 may be installed at the inner surface of the side wall 103 of the sump 100.

[0282] The coarse filter 140 may have a filter portion 142 to filtrate relatively large contaminants, and a handle 141 for installing the coarse filter 140. The filter portion 142 of the coarse filter 140 may be formed on the circumference of the coarse filter 140.

[0283] The coarse filter 140 may be mounted onto the sump 100 through a through hole 139 of the micro filter 130 and a through hole 122 of the fine filter. An upper portion of the coarse filter 140 may protrude into the inside of the washing tub 30 and a lower portion of thereof may protrude into a contaminant trapping chamber 111 of the sump 100. The contaminant trapping chamber 111 will be described below. The through hole 122 of the fine filter 120 may be disposed in a central portion or center of the fine filter 120, or may be disposed offset from the center of the fine filter 120.

[0284] The fine filter 120 may have a filter portion 121 to filtrate the contaminants larger than a medium size and a through hole 122 through which the coarse filter 140 passes. The fine filter 120 may be mounted above the drainage hole 50 of the bottom plate 35 of the washing tub 30 approximately in a substantially horizontally disposed orientation. The fine filter 120 may have an inclination which allows the washing water guided toward the through hole 122 by its weight (by a gravitational force).

[0285] The washing water of the washing tub 30 may flow toward the coarse filter 140 along the inclination of the fine filter 120. However, a part of the washing water and the contaminants may flow to the accumulating chamber 110 of the sump 100 directly after passing the filter portion 121 of the fine filter 120.

[0286] The micro filter 130 may include a filter portion 131 to filtrate relatively small contaminants and may have a planar shape, frames 132, 133 and 135 for supporting the filter portion 131, and a through hole 139 through which the coarse filter 140 passes.

[0287] The frames 132,133 and 135 may include an upper frame 132, a lower frame 133 and side frames 135. The micro filter 130 may be mounted to the sump 100 such that the lower frame 133 closely contacts the bottom 101 of the sump 100 and the side frames 135 closely contact the side wall 103 of the sump 100.

[0288] The micro filter 130 may divide the accumulating chamber 110 into the contaminant trapping chamber 111 and the circulating chamber 112. The drain pump 52 may be connected to the contaminant trapping chamber 111, and the circulating pump 51 may be connected to the circulating chamber 112.

[0289] As described above, as a lower portion of the coarse filter 140 protrudes into the contaminant trapping chamber 111, the washing water and the contaminants included therein which have passed through the coarse filter 140 flow into the contaminant trapping chamber 111.

[0290] The washing water flowed into the contaminant trapping chamber 111 may flow to the circulating chamber 112 through the micro filter 130. However, the contaminants included in the washing water flowed into the contaminant trapping chamber 111 may not pass through the micro filter 130 such that the contaminants may not flow to the circulating chamber 112, and thus the contaminants remain in the contaminant trapping chamber 111.

[0291] When the drain pump 52 operates, contaminants trapped in the contaminant trapping chamber 110 may be discharged from the main body 10 together with the washing water.

[0292] Meanwhile, the micro filter 130 may be formed to closely contact the bottom 101 and the side wall 103 of the sump 100 so that the contaminants in the contaminant trapping chamber 110 do not flow to the circulating chamber 112 through a gap between the micro filter 130 and the sump 100.

[0293] To this end, a lower sealing groove 134 may be formed at the lower frame 133 of the micro filter 130, and a side sealing protrusion 136 may be formed at the side frame 135 such that it protrudes toward side wall 103. In correspondence with this, a lower sealing protrusion 102 in which the lower sealing groove 134 is inserted may be formed at the bottom 101 of the sump 100, and a side sealing groove 104 in which the side sealing protrusion 136 is inserted may be formed at the side wall 103 of the sump 100.

[0294] By this structure of the lower and the side protrusions and grooves, the sealing between the micro filter 130 and the sump 100 may be enhanced.

[0295] Meanwhile, the coarse filter 140 may be mounted onto the sump 100, after being inserted into the sump 100 vertically and then being rotated from a release position to a locking position.

[0296] To this end, a mounting protrusion 143 may be formed at the circumferential surface of the coarse filter 140, and a mounting groove 105 may be formed at the inner surface of the side wall 103 of the sump 100, wherein the mounting protrusion 143 may be inserted into the mounting groove 105 horizontally when the coarse filter 140 is rotated from a release position to a locking position.

[0297] The mounting protrusion 143 may have an upward inclining surface 144 which is inclined upward when the coarse filter 140 is rotated from the release position to the locking position. The mounting groove 105 may have a downward inclining surface 106 which is inclined upward when the coarse filter 140 is rotated from the release position to the locking position.

[0298] In this configuration, when the coarse filter 140 is rotated from the release position to the locking position, the coarse filter 140 may move downward as the upward inclining surface 144 of the mounting protrusion 143 slides along the downward inclining surface 106 of the mounting groove 105.

[0299] The coarse filter 140 may push the micro filter 130 downward when the coarse filter 140 is rotated from the release position to the locking position. To this end, the coarse filter 140 may have a downward pressing surface 145 formed horizontally to push the micro filter 130 downward. The micro filter 130 may have a downward corresponding surface 137 formed horizontally (e.g., on a portion of the upper frame 132) to be pushed by the downward pressing surface 145.

[0300] In this manner, as the coarse filter 140 pushes the micro filter 130 downward when the coarse filter 140 is rotated from the release position to the locking position, the sealing between the lower frame 133 of the micro filter 130 and the bottom 101 of the sump 100 may be enhanced, and thereby detaching of the micro filter 130 being prevented.

[0301] In addition, the coarse filter 140 may have a lateral pressing surface 146, wherein a portion of circumferential surface of the lateral pressing surface 146 is expanded out in a radial direction to laterally push the micro filter 130 when the coarse filter 140 is rotated form the release position to the locking position. That is, the coarse filter 140 may have a bulged shape or an elliptical shape.

[0302] The micro filter 130 may have a lateral corresponding surface 138 to be pushed laterally by the lateral pressing surface 146. For example, lateral corresponding surface 138 may be disposed as or correspond to an inner wall of the upper frame 132 which forms through hole 139.

[0303] In this configuration, the micro filter 130 is pushed laterally when the coarse filter 140 is rotated from the release position to the locking position such that the sealing between the side frame 135 of the micro filter 130 and the side wall 103 of the sump 100 may be more enhanced.

[0304] Meanwhile, as described in FIG. 47, the coarse filter 140 may be biased (or disposed) to be closer to one of the side walls 33 and 34 of the washing tub 30. That is, the coarse filter 140 may be disposed more closely to the right wall 34 than the left wall 33, for example. By this disposition of the coarse filter 140, when the coarse filter 140 is dissembled, the coarse filter 140 may be dissembled more easily without any interference with the rail 440. Alternatively, the coarse filter 140 may be disposed more closely to the left wall 33 than the right wall 34, for example. Additionally, the coarse filter 140 may be disposed more closely to the rear wall 32 than the door 11, for example, or vice versa.

[0305] According to an aspect of the disclosure, the dishes which are to be washed may be washed in various ways depending on the type of dishes to be washed and a degree of contamination of the dishes, because it is possible to wash partitioned regions of the washing tub, respectively.

[0306] For example, a plurality of vanes may be provided in a dish washing machine, and one or more of the vanes may be driven independently. The vanes may have a structure as disclosed herein. The vanes may be coupled separately with a drive device so that the vanes may be driven independently. Accordingly, each vane may be driven at different speeds and/or in different directions, respectively. Also, the amount of the washing water sprayed from a stationary nozzle assembly toward any particular or corresponding vane may be varied such that a degree of washing in one region may be different from or the same as another region which is washed using another vane and/or a rotating nozzle. The speed and direction of movement of the plurality of vanes may be set or determined by a controller according to a washing operation input or selected by a user and/or may be determined according to the degree or intensity of the washing necessary based on the degree of contamination of the dishes and/or the type of dishes to be washed (e.g., glasses, metal pots, silverware, etc.)

[0307] The dish washing machine and operation thereof according to the above-described example embodiments may use one or more processors. For example, the controller may include one or more processors. For example, a processing device may be implemented using one or more general-purpose or special purpose computers, and may include, for example, one or more of a processor, a controller and an arithmetic logic unit, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an image processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array, a programmable logic unit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor or any other device capable of responding to and executing instructions in a defined manner.

[0308] While example embodiments of the disclosure have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are exemplary of the disclosure and are not to be considered as limiting. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations may be contrived and implemented within the scope described in the specification, and these modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A dish washing machine comprising: a main body; a washing tub disposed within the main body; a plurality of spray nozzles to spray a washing water into an inside of the washing tub; a plurality of vanes to respectively move in the washing tub to reflect the washing water sprayed from the spray nozzles; and a rail to guide movement of the vanes.

2. The dish washing machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vanes are connected to and interlocked with a belt by a drive pulley and an idle pulley.

3. The dish washing machine of claim 2, wherein the plurality of vanes move angularly due to a water pressure of the washing water sprayed from the spray nozzles.

4. The dish washing machine of claim 1, further comprising a drive device to drive the plurality of vanes.

5. The dish washing machine of claim 4, wherein the drive device comprises the rail, a motor to generate a driving force, and a belt connected to a drive pulley and an idle pulley and rotated thereby so as to deliver the driving force of the motor to the vanes.

6. The dish washing machine of claim 1, wherein the rail is provided in the same number as that of the plurality of vanes and each rail couples with each of the vanes independently.

7. The dish washing machine of claim 5, wherein a number of drive devices is provided which is the same number as that of the plurality of vanes and each drive device drives each of the vanes independently.

8. The dish washing machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vanes separately wash the inside of the washing tub which is divided into regions.

9. The dish washing machine of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of spray nozzles is a stationary nozzle fixed to an inner wall of the washing tub and at least one of the spray nozzles is a rotating nozzle for spraying the washing water while rotating within the washing tub.

10. The dish washing machine of claim 5, wherein the drive device comprises: a rear holder to rotationally support the drive pulley and the rear holder is coupled with an end of the rail by a tension of the belt, and a front holder to rotationally support the idle pulley and the front holder is coupled with the other end of the rail by a tension of the belt.

11. A dish washing machine comprising: a main body; a washing tub disposed within the main body; at least one rotating nozzle to spray washing water into an inside of the washing tub; a stationary nozzle disposed at an inner wall of the washing tub to spray the washing water; and at least one vane to reflect the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzle.

12. The dish washing machine of claim 11, wherein a first region of the washing tub within which the vane moves and a second region of the washing tub within which the washing water is sprayed from the rotating nozzle are washed independently of each other.

13. The dish washing machine of claim 12, wherein the first region and the second region are different regions from each other.

14. The dish washing machine of claim 12, wherein at least one portion of the first region and the second region is overlapped.

15. The dish washing machine of claim 11, wherein the at least one vane is provided as a plurality and connected to a belt by a drive pulley and an idle pulley so that the vanes move within the washing tub while being interlocked with the belt.

16. The dish washing machine of claim 15, wherein one of the plurality of vanes moves in a first direction and another vane moves in a second direction due to water pressure of the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzle.

17. The dish washing machine of claim 11, wherein the at least one vane is provided as a plurality and a plurality of vanes move within the washing tub independently of each other.

18. The dish washing machine of claim 17, further comprising: a drive device to drive the plurality of vanes, wherein the drive device comprises a motor to generate a driving force, a belt connected to a drive pulley and an idle pulley and rotated thereby so as to deliver the driving force of the motor to the vanes, and a rail to guide movement of the vanes.

19. The dish washing machine of claim 18, wherein the drive device is provided in the same number as that of the plurality of vanes and each drive device drives each of the vanes independently.

20. The dish washing machine of claim 11, wherein the rotating nozzle is provided as a plurality, and the dish washing machine comprises a first region washed by the vane, a second region by one of the rotating nozzles and a third region washed by another one of the rotating nozzles.

21. A dish washing machine comprising: a main body including a door; a washing tub disposed within the main body; at least one rotating nozzle to spray washing water into an inside of the washing tub; a plurality of stationary nozzles disposed in a stationary nozzle assembly at a rear wall of the washing tub to spray the washing water in a direction toward the door; and at least one vane disposed to move forward and rearward and to reflect the washing water sprayed from the stationary nozzle in an upward direction, wherein the washing tub comprises of a plurality of regions including a first region which primarily receives washing water reflected from the at least one vane, and a second region which primarily receives washing water sprayed from the at least one rotating nozzle.

22. The dish washing machine of claim 21, wherein the dish washing machine comprises at least two vanes including a first vane and second vane disposed in parallel, and the dish washing machine further comprises at least two drive devices to drive the at least two vanes, including a first drive device to drive the first vane and a second drive device to drive the second vane.

23. The dish washing machine of claim 22, wherein the plurality of stationary nozzles includes a first stationary nozzle disposed at a left side of the rear wall of the washing tub and a second stationary nozzle disposed at a right side of the rear wall of the washing tub, each of the first stationary nozzle and the second stationary nozzle including a plurality of spray holes, the first vane is disposed along a first rail which is disposed between spray holes of the first stationary nozzle and extends from the stationary nozzle assembly toward the door, and the second vane is disposed along a second rail which is disposed between spray holes of the second stationary nozzle and extends from the stationary nozzle assembly toward the door.

24. The dish washing machine of claim 22, wherein the first vane and the second vane are controllable to be moved at different speeds and/or different directions from one another.

25. The dish washing machine of claim 22, wherein the first region includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region, and the first sub-region primarily receives washing water reflected from the first vane and the second sub-region primarily receives washing water reflected from the second vane.

26. The dish washing machine of claim 21, wherein the at least one rotating nozzle sprays washing water in an upward direction and is disposed in a lower portion of the washing tub adjacent to the at least one vane, the at least one vane is disposed along a rail which extends from the stationary nozzle assembly to a central portion of the washing tub, adjacent to an outer circumferential portion of the at least one rotating nozzle, the first region primarily receives washing water reflected from the at least one vane, and the second region primarily receives washing water sprayed from the at least one rotating nozzle.

27. The dish washing machine of claim 21, wherein the at least one rotating nozzle further includes a first rotating nozzle and a second rotating nozzle to spray washing water in an upward direction, the first rotating nozzle and the second rotating nozzle being disposed in a lower portion of the washing tub adjacent to the at least one vane, the at least one vane is disposed along a rail which extends from the stationary nozzle assembly to a central portion of the washing tub, adjacent to an outer circumferential portion of the first rotating nozzle and the second rotating nozzle, the first region primarily receives washing water reflected from the at least one vane, and the second region includes a first sub-region and a second sub-region, the first sub-region primarily receives washing water sprayed from the first rotating nozzle, and the second sub-region primarily receives washing water sprayed from the second rotating nozzle.