GB2155316A - Hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers - Google Patents

Abstract

A hydraulic feeder for a dishwasher (see Figure 1) comprises a flat body 1 having channels therein forming two independent water circulating ducts 2,3 which have inlets 4,6 and outlets 5,7, and zones 9 of reduced cross-section having gaps which function as air-breaks and a threaded aperture 17 which acts as a steam outlet and means for connecting the feeder to the body of the dishwasher. Water from outlet 5 may be directed to a compartment containing salt and that from outlet 6 to a decalcifying tank. In a modification, see Figure 5, only a single water circulating duct 18 is provided, there being one inlet 19 and two outlets 24,25 for water and one outlet 22 for steam. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers The present invention refers to a hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers.

The hydraulic feeder of the invention must be disposed between the corresponding water system and the dishwasher itself, resting on the frame of said dishwasher and fixed thereto by threading through the port constituting the steam outlet.

With the said hydraulic feeder of the invention, it is possible to regenerate the water directly, the structure thereof forming two independent water circulating circuits and a steam outlet. One of said water circulating circuits leads the water to the corresponding salt deposit to produce regeneration of said water, whereas the other water circulating circuit leads said water to the decalcifying tank to produce decalcification of the water.

The said two independent circuits are formed in a plate made of a suitable plastic material which is closed by the corresponding flat cover secured thereto by suitable means, such as thermowelding, adhering etc.

Furthermore, the two independent water circulating circuits present a configuration which can be considered as practically identical, each one of said circuits being provided with a water inlet duct and an outlet duct, the corresponding steam outlet port being defined between both circuits, which port also constitutes means for the threaded coupling to a side zone of the dishwasher.

In accordance with the constitution of the mentioned hydraulic feeder, the water coming from the water system enters both circuits through the respective inlet duct, which duct is defined in correspondence with the lateral part of the plate in which both circuits are formed, whilst it is discharged through the other duct, longer than the inlet duct, provided at a zone further inwards than the said inlet ducts.

The section of both water circulating circuits is reduced from the inlet thereof until a jet breaking point is reached, so that at the initiation of this zone or jet breaking point the pressure of the water is at a maximum. Thus, from said jet breaking point a small amount of water enters the tank formed between the two said water circulating circuits, striking against a wall to be directed to the port constituting the steam outlet, whilst the rest of the water falls by gravity into the circuit section constituting the outlet to the decalcifying tank and to the salt deposit, respectively.

As a result of the mentioned jet breakage of the water produced in each water circulating circuit, and in the event a suction takes place in the water system, dust or dirt particles are prevented from passing thereto.

Once the water has been decalcified, it is driven into the dishwasher to wash the utensils placed on the corresponding trays provided therein.

An improved mode of embodiment also comprises a hydraulic feeder having a single water circulating circuit to the tank of the hydraulic feeder itself and, as it is logical, a steam outlet and a pair of ducts for leading the water to the regenerating salt deposit and to the decalcifier, respectively.

In accordance with this mode of embodiment, an electromechanic anti-return device having a programmed operation is disposed between the salt deposit and the decalcifying tank.

In said embodiment of the hydraulic feeder, the water coming from the water system enters through an inlet duct provided at the bottom, in correspondence with one of the sides of the plate or body constituting said feeder, to be directed to the respective circuit whose water circulating section is likewise reduced until it crosses the jet breaking point, at which point the pressure of the water is at a maximum so that from the jet breakage a small amount of water enters the tank of the feeder, being directed to the steam outlet port including interconnecting flanges forming a type of labyrinth, forcing a portion of the steam to be condensed and drops of water to be formed, whilst the rest of the water enters a tiny circuit section, due to gravity, to open into the tank of the feeder.

The outlet through which said water is discharged towards the salt deposit so that it is regenerated is located at the lower end opposite to that at which the water enters the feeder.

As already mentioned, the duct joining the salt deposit and the decalcifying tank has an anti-return device which, upon being closed, will cause a saturation of water in said duct, whereby the tank of the feeder will be filled with water which will be discharged through an upper outlet to be directed to the decalcifying tank.

Once the water has been decalcified, it is driven to the washing tank to wash the utensils placed on the trays.

Furthermore, referring to the mode of embodiment being described, it must be pointed out that the body itself of the feeder can be positioned in the most suitable manner, depending on the hardness of the water, since, as it is known, the hardness of water (calcium carbonate or calcium oxide content) is not the same in all locations, and the capacity of the tank of the hydraulic feeder must necessarily be varied in accordance with said hardness of the water. Thus, said feeder has been made so that it can be placed at different positions, specifically at three positions, so that when said feeder undergoes determined inclinations, the capacity of its tank differs at each of such positions.

The tank will have a higher capacity, corresponding to the vertical position thereof, when the water is harder, whereas it will have a smaller capacity when the water has a lesser degree of hardness.

The position of said feeder can be adjusted, according to the three possible positions, by means of a sleeve and the feeder adjuster, which are inserted in a hole placed in the centre of the feeder itself.

The mentioned sleeve of the feeder is fixed thereto, so that said sleeve is turned using a flange placed orthogonally outwards and at its side surface, to place a pivot in accordance with any one of the three holes of the adjuster, wherefore said sleeve and feeder will turn jointly, being positioned according to the desired inclination depending on the hardness of the water.

For a better understanding of the characteristics of the hydraulic feeder of the invention, a set of drawings is accompanied wherein the following is represented: Figure 1 is a plan view of the feeder, illustrating the plate or flat body constituting the feeder in which the two independent water circulating circuits are formed, as well as the steam outlet port.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the feeder of Figure 1 taken on line A-B of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the contour of the cover for closing the circuits of the feeder represented in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the arrangement of the feeder with respect to the water system, schematically illustrating the circuit followed by the water from the mentioned water system to the washing tank of the dishwasher.

Figure 5 is a view of a preferred mode of embodiment of the feeder of the invention, illustrating the water inlet from the supply to the circuit of the flat body of the feeder, as well as the steam outlet placed at the top, beneath which is located the inernally threaded hole to be joined to the sleeve, and the tank with the outlet ducts to the water regenerating salt deposit and to the decalcifier.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the feeder represented in the preceding figure, taken on line C-D of Figure 5.

Figure 7 schematically represents the position of the feeder corresponding to Figure 5, illustrating how the water from the water system enters through the lower end of the circuit, the opposite end of the circuit corresponding with the tank of the feeder. It likewise illustrates the lower outlet of the tank to the regenerating tank and the upper outlet to the decalcifying tank.

Figure 8 is a view of the sleeve of the feeder, illustrating the orthogonal flange at its side and the also orthogonal pivot at the upper base which will correspond with the various holes of the adjuster.

Figure 9 is a sectional view of the sleeve of the preceding figure, taken on line E-F of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a plan view of the nut of the feeder to be threaded thereto, so that the sleeve illustrated in the preceding figures is fixed.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the adjuster, illustrat ing the three holes in which the pivot of the sleeve for adjusting the three positions of the feeder will be inserted.

Figure 12 is a sectional view of the adjuster of the preceding figure, taken on line G-H of Figure 11.

Figures 1 to 4 illustrate the first embodiment of the hydraulic feeder of the invention, comprising a plate having a sufficient thickness for the formation therein of the corresponding independent circuits, forming the main and basic part of said feeder.

Said plate 1 has channels forming the said inde pendent circuits 2 and 3. Circuit 2 has an inlet duct 4 disposed in correspondence with one of the side zones of the body formed by the plate 1, as well as an outlet duct 5 provided at the bottom and further inwards with respect to the inlet duct 4. The other independent circuit 3 also has an inlet duct 6 and an outlet duct 7 disposed in a similar manner as inlet ducts 4 and 5 of circuit 2.

The plate 1 in which the circuits 2 and 3 are formed is closed by a closure cover 8 illustrated in Figure 6, the thickness of which is considerably smaller than the plate 1 and the configuration or contour of which corresponds therewith.

The section of zones 9 and 10, respectively, of both the circuits 2 and 3 in which the pressure will be at a maximum, is reduced. A water jet breakage takes place in this zone, so that a small amount of water is driven into the tank 11 formed between the two said circuits 2 and 3. Before entering said tank 11, the said small amount of water strikes against the walls 12 and 13 provided in correspondence with each of the circuits 2 and 3. The rest of the water falls by gravity along the corresponding duct until it reaches the outlet ducts 5 and 7 of each circuit, reaching the salt deposit 15 and the decalcifying tank 14, respectively, through these outlet ducts.That is, the outlet duct 5 corresponding to circuit 2 leads the water to the mentioned salt deposit 15 to regenerate said water, whereas the outlet duct 7 of circuit 3 leads the water to the decalcifying tank 14, the water reaching the salt deposit 15 passing directly to the decalcifying tank 14, as illustrated in Figure 4, to pass directly therefrom to the washing tank 16.

The described hydraulic feeder is installed in the dishwasher, in a back-to-back relation thereto, and is fixed by coupling the threaded hole 17 constituting the steam outlet.

Finally, in the event a suction is produced in the water system, the jet breakage occurring in zones 9 and 10 of circuits 2 and 3 permits only a portion of the water to be suctioned, since from said jet breakage air enters and prevents dust or dirt particles from entering the said system.

Figures 5 to 12 illustrate a preferred mode of embodiment of the feeder of the invention, the common elements bearing like references in these figures.

This second mode of embodiment of the hydraulic feeder comprises a single water circulating circuit 18, the lower end of which communicates with the inlet 19 through which the water coming from the water system enters. The duct section formed by the mentioned circuit 18 decreases gradually up to the point 20 at which the mentioned jet breakage takes place and at which point 20 the pressure of the water will be at its maximum. From said water jet breakage point 20, the water will pass or fall by gravity into the duct section 21 to directly pass to the tank 11 of the feeder 1.

Furthermore, at the upper part of said feeder 1 is disposed the corresponding steam outlet 22 includ ing a series of interconnecting flanges 23 forming a type of labyrinth, forcing a portion of the steam to be condensed and drops of water to be formed.

The outlet duct 24 through which the water reaches the salt deposit 15 to cause regeneration of the water is located at the lower part of the tank 11 and at a zone opposite to that of the inlet duct 19, whereas the outlet duct 25 through which the water is discharged to the decalcifying tank 14 is located at the top. The duct joining the salt deposit 15 and the decalcifying tank 14 incorporates an electromechanic anti-return device 26 having a programmed operation, which anti-return device 26, when closed, will cause the corresponding saturation of the duct communicating the outlet 24 with the salt deposit 15, causing the tank 11 to be filled and consequently the water will be discharged through the outlet 25 to be sent to the decalcifying tank 14, as schematically illustrated in Figure 7.

Just as the circuits 2 and 3 are completed with the cover 8, the circuit 18, the steam outlet 22 and the tank 11 itself are completed with a cover having a contour similar to that of the feeder of Figure 5.

The feeder body 1 has at the centre a hole 27 which corresponds with the hole 17 of the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4. Said hole 27 is internally threaded and the sleeve 28 of Figures 8 and 9 rests thereon. Said sleeve 28 is provided with an outer radial flange 29 as well as a pivot 30 to be inserted in the holes 31, 32 or 33 of an adjuster 34, said sleeve 28 being completed with a nut 35 represented in Figure 10, which nut will be joined to the sleeve 28 with the help of an O-ring seal by means of the threads 36 and 37 of said nut and sleeve, respectively.

Thus, when the feeder 1 is in a vertical position as illustrated in Figures 5 and 7, that is according to longitudinal axis A-A, the tank 11 will have a higher capacity, the flange 29 of the sleeve 28 being positioned in accordance with the mentioned longitudinal axis A-A of the feeder 1, that is, vertically and in such a way that the pivot 30 coincides with the hole 31 of the adjuster 34.

A second position of the feeder 1 is achieved by turning it so that the axis A-A of Figure 7 coincides with the axis B-B, wherefore the sleeve 28 would have turned in this same angle, the flange 29 will therefore be positioned in accordance with the said axis B-B and the pivot 30 will be inserted in the hole 32 of the adjuster 34.

Finally, the third position to be adopted by the feeder 1 is achieved by turning it so that the axis A-A coincides with the axis C-C of Figure 7, wherefore the sleeve 28 would have turned in the same angle as the feeder 1, the pivot 30 therefore corresponding to the hole 33 of the adjuster 34.

It must be taken into consideration that if the feeder is in its position of maximum capacity, that is, in a vertical position, according to axis A-A, the flange 29 and the pivot 30 of the sleeve 28 must be on the axis A-A, said axis having to pass through the centre of the hole 31 of the adjuster 34.

In this way the harder the water the higher the capacity of tank 11 of the feeder 1 to produce a better regeneration, whereas the lesser the hardness of the water, the smaller the capacity of the tank 11 since the regeneration need not be as good.

Claims (7)

1. Hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers, characterised in that it comprises a flat body or plate having channels to form two independent water circulating circuits provided in correspondence with the side zones of said flat body or plate, one of the points of both circuits having a reduced section close to which a breakage is produced in the jet of circulating water, so that a small amount of water is driven to a tank of the flat body or plate of the feeder, whereas the majority of the water falls by gravity in the corresponding outlet duct, said flat plate or body having a threaded hole, through which it is secured to the body of the dishwasher, constituting the steam outlet.

2. Hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers according to claim 1, characterised in that the independent water circulating circuits become narrower close to the jet breakage, the section thereof being reduced at the initiation of the zone at which jet breakage takes place.

3. Hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers according to claim 1, characterised in that a single water circulating circuit is formed in the flat body or plate, the water coming from the water system entering through one end of said circuit, the corresponding duct section of said circuit being reduced up to a point at which a jet breakage takes place, the rest of the water falling into a circuit section opening into the tank formed in the flat body or plate of the feeder, whereas the steam is discharged through interconnecting flanges causing a portion of the steam to be condensed.

4. Hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers according to claim 3, characterised in that an outlet duct leading the water to the corresponding salt deposit of the dishwasher for the regeneration of said water is disposed at the bottom of the tank formed in the body or plate of the feeder, whereas another outlet duct through which the water is discharged, when the said tank is full, to the decalcifying tank normally incorporated in a dishwasher is disposed at the top.

5. Hydraulic feeder having a steam outlet for dishwashers according to claims 3 and 4, characterised in that the feeder can be placed at three positions to vary the capacity of the tank formed in the flat body or plate of the feeder, said change in position of the mentioned feeder being achieved by turning a sleeve secured to the feeder, until a pivot of said sleeve is inserted in one of the holes of an adjuster joined to the dishwasher itself.

6. A hydraulic feeder for dishwashers, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A hydraulic feeder as illustrated in any one or more of Figures 1-12 of the accompanying drawings.