US2551379A

US2551379A - Dish-washing machine control unit

Info

Publication number: US2551379A
Application number: US770376A
Authority: US
Inventors: Raus Julius La; David W Wollin
Original assignee: AMERICAN DISHWASHER CORP
Current assignee: AMERICAN DISHWASHER Corp
Priority date: 1947-08-25
Filing date: 1947-08-25
Publication date: 1951-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1968-05-01

Description

y' 1951 J. LA RAUS ET AL DISH-WASHING MACHINE CONTROL UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1947 Ell E) INVENTORS if. MM. or K @(Q flaw J77? J. LA RAUS ET AL -WASHING MACHINE CONTROL UNIT.

May 1, 1951 DISH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1947 INVENTORS a// B ,9 477 M Q V 17A 1. v A \V L. a A i A, w. P W P w P M V T MN A M w m m m m s 0 g 0 F T. I V mm. M

Patented May I, 1951 UNITE D .S TAT ES =AT E NT OFF ICE 'DISH-WA'SHKNG'MACHINE CONTROL UNI-T Julius La Raus, Westport, and DavidW. Wollin,

Bridgeport, Conn, assignors to American Dishwasher Corporation, a corporation of Delaware ApplicationAugust 25, 1947., Serial No."77 0,376

is to'provide a dishwas'hing machine having an improved control unit which'is reliable and positive in operation and inexpensive to construct.

Another object of the invention is to provide ia'novel control unit for washing machines which is simple in operation, requiresa relatively small space and which provides a completely automatic cycle of operation including the feeding of a measured quantity of wash water to the tub, con- 'tinuous circulation of the wash water through "a jet-propelled spray arm, draining of the wash water followed by feeding of rinse water to'the tub, similar circulation of the same and finally draining of the rinse'water.

Yet another object of the invention isto provide an improved valve arrangement andvalve actuating means for washing machines wherein a simple and inexpensive prime mover, 'disassociated from any motivepower for operating'the washer, actuates the valves with positive'ness and certainty. Although other washing machines provide a substantially similar cycle of operation the controls generally require solenoid-operated valves and the resulting equipment is relatively costly to construct and maintain. The control unit of the present-invention is simple and positive in operation and can be manufactured at a modest cost.

A further object of the invention .is to provide an automatic washing machine having a predetermined washing and rinsing period which maybe increased or decreased at the will of the user. This structure includes a synchronous timer motor having a train of reducing gears arranged to produce one complete revolution of the drive shaft in each cycle of operation which may be fifteen minutes or thereabouts. The drive shaft carries cams which control operation of the delivery of Water to the tub, the Water cir- 2 starting position and obtain the desired minutes. W Y

The embodiment {of the invention chosen for "illustration in the drawing is a portable dishwasher requiring -no "plumbing services to install. The invention may, of course, be embodied in a more elaborate apparatus designed for perrna nent installation, or it may be embodied ina Washercl'esignedffor uses other than the cleaning "of dishes. In other words, the control 'unit of the present "invention maybe used inconnection with a variety o'f'machines "for the treatment of materials by-fiuids.

The control unit, "per se, may also be employed in connection with existing, manually controlled Washing machines.

In thedrawings:

Fig. '1 is a side elevation, partly in section, or 'a dishwashing machine "and the control unit therefor embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is-a broken section taken on line 2- 2 "of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is abrolren section through one of "the valves, the section being taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2

Fig. 4 is another section taken through the valve shown inFig. 3 and showing the valve in open position Fig. '5 is a broken sectionthrough another of the valves, the section being taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 5 but shows a "different position of the valve member;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line l-I of Fig. 2;,

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 88 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a plan view "of the cams showing their cycle of operation, and

Fig. 10 shows-a circuit which may be employed in connection with the control unit.

The dishwashing machine of the present invention includes a tub H! which may be of generally rectangular shape and may include racks H for supporting the dishes during the washing operation. The construction of these racks forms no part of the present invention. A removable culation motor, the valves, and "operation of the cover 15 DOSItIOIIBd the pp end 0 e timer motor itself. A one-way friction clutch may be interposed between the final gear of the 'gear'train and the drive shaft to permit manual rotation thereof to speed up the parts of the cycle, if desired, or to "increase the time of any part by rotating the shaft something less than a complete revolution alter a part of 'a cycle "has commenced. Thus, on a six -minute Wash cycle the shaft can be rotated to reduce the siX niin- The lower wall I3 is provided with a generally central opening which receives a bushing M forming a journal support for the hub 15 of a spray arm [6 having obliquely-set jet nozzles 20 so disposed as to impart rotation to the spray arm when water under pressure issues therefrom.

An angle fitting 2| connects the bushing 14 with a pipe 22 which feeds water to the spray arm during the Washing and rinsing cycles. The lower wall iii of the housing maybe supported on legs 23 to provide clearance for the water delivery pipe 22.

The entire control unit is disposed within a relatively small housing l9 mounted at one end of the tub. Water is fed to the washer through a conduit 24 which leads to a faucet or other source of heated water. This conduit is connected with valve 25 which in turn is connected with delivery pipe 26 passing through an opening in an end wall 30 of the tub.

After the wash water in a predetermined quantity has been delivered to the tub, it is withdrawn therefrom for the purpose of recirculation through pipe 3| leading into the tub l0. Mesh strainer 32 prevents food particles from passing out of the tub. Pipe 3| is connected at 34 to a pump 33 which is driven by motor 35, the pump and motor shafts being connected by coupling 36.

-The water issues from pump 33 through a conduit 49 connected with the inlet 39 of a twoway-valve 4| having outlets 42 and 43, the latter being connected with conduit 44 which is connected with delivery pipe 22. Thus, when 1e two-way valve-is in the position shown in Fig. 6, the water under pressure from the pump is returned to the tub for recirculation, and

when-suchvalve is in the position shown in Fig. the water issues through outlet 42 into conduit 45 which leads to the drain (not shown).

Valves 25 and 4| are operated by the synchronous timer motor 46 earlier referred to and having drive shaft 50 arranged to make one complete revolution during each complete cycle "of operation, which is indicated in Fig. 9 as behas keyed thereto a number of cams including cams 5| and 52 arranged to close

contacts

53 and 54, respectively, on micro-switches which control operation of the pump motor and the timer motor and

cams

55 and 56 which control valves 25 and 4|, respectively.

Referring now to valve 25 shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 8, it will be noted that the valve includes a cylindrical housing 60 closed at 6|. Threaded at 62, the valve housing is mounted in wall 63 by means of cap 64 and nut 65. Valve member 66 is mounted in the housing for sliding movement and is urged outwardly by spring 10. A slot relieves pressure in the spring chamber. The valvemember has an annular recess 12 to permit the passage of fluid when the valve is open. It is provided with inlet and outlet connections '13 and 14 to which'conduits 24 and 26, respectively, are secured. Valve stem 15 has packing l6 and may be formed with slot 80 at engages the face of cam 55. This cam has two rises, 83 and 82, for opening the valve to inject water for" the washing and rinsin cycles, respectively. The rises shown on cam 55 as well as those in cam 56 are exaggerated and they may be much more shallow.

Valve 4| is provided with a cylindrical housing 84 closed at 85. It is threaded at 85 and-is mounted on wall 90 by means of cap- 9| and nut 92....Valve member 93 has two oppositely-facing

slots

94 and 95, and when slot 94 is disposed opposite inlet port 39 (Figs. -6 and 7) water under pressure from the pump is directed into outlet port 43 and conduit 44 and thence back to the its outer terminal. A pin or roller 8| in the slot spray arm in the tub. When, however, slot 95 is opposite inlet port 39 (Fig. 5) the water is directed to the other outlet port 42 and thence to drain conduit 45.

A spring 95 urges the valve member 93 outwardly. Valve stem H!!! is provided with packing |G| and a slot H32 at its outer end within which pin or roller IE3 is mounted. Cam 56 has two rises H34 and H25 which engage the roller and move the valve member.

A suitable circuit for operating the washer is illustrated in Fig. 10. The circuit includes power lines I06, the timer motor 46 and microswitch 54 controlling operation thereof, and the pump motor 35 and micro-switch 53 controlling operation thereof. A light I 0 may be positioned at any suitable place externally of the housing I 9 to indicate that the circuit is closed. This light is shown as being in series with the timer motor which runs continuously during the full cycle. Drive shaft 59 extends through the housing and may be provided at its outer end with a control knob H2 to permit manual rotation.

. A typical cycle of operation is illustrated in Fig. 9. It will be appreciated, of course, that this cycle may be varied to suit particular conditions by altering the position of the rises on the several cams and the relationship of one cam to another.

Cams

55 and 56 are shown in Figs. 8 and '7, respectively, in the same angular position which they occupy in Fig. 9. For the sake of clarity, however, in Figs. 8 and 7, respectively, the rises on each of these cams are also shown in broken lines in the position which they occupy at the end of the cycle. In thi position, valve 25 is closed and valve 4| is in water recirculation position wherein slot 94 is disposed adjacent outlet 43 leading to conduit 44. In other words, the valve to the drain is closed. In this position, also, both switches are open and both motors are off.

To start a new cycle of operation, drive shaft 50 is rotated manually by control knob H2 through a small arc until cam 52 closes switch '54 to start operation of the timer motor. Signal light H9 is in series with the timer motor, and when this light becomes lighted the operator is apprised that the cycle has commenced and that further manual rotation is unnecessary.v Cam rise 83 now opens valve 25, admitting wash water to the tub. This valve is illustrated as being open for 1 minutes, which introduces sufficient water for the wash cycle. Just before valve 25 closes, cam 5| closes switch 53, starting operation of the pump motor which continues in operation until the end of the cycle.

During the next portion of the cycle the wash water is recirculated by being withdrawn from the tub through conduit 3| and is returned through spray arm i3. This part of the cycle continues ford minutes, at which time cam rise I04 moves valve 4| to drain position, thus draining the wash water from the tub. Near the end of this draining period, cam rise 82 opens valve 25 to introduce rinse water into the tub. This valve is shown as being open again for 1% minutes, and at the end of this period valve 25 is again closed and valve 4| has been moved to recirculation position. The cycle then continues until cam rise I05 again moves valve 4| todrain position, and when the draining is completed,

cams

52 and 5| open both motor circuits and the cycle is completed.

If, for any reason, it should be desirable to provide two automatic rinses, the cams could be appropriately modified to take care of the situation. Also, instead of turning the drive shaft one revolution per cycle, the cams could be changed to secure the desired results in one-half a revolution. It might also be desirable in certain types of fluid treatment of materials to introduce a different type of fluid for the rinse, and in such case valve 25 could be replaced with a two-way valve similar to valve 4| but having aclosed position as well as the two open positions. Then by appropriately forming the cam the valve would be readily moved to its three successive positions.

The control unit of the present invention is,

illustrative purposes, and the construction and I arrangement incidental to a specific application thereof have been disclosed and discussed in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts, nor to its specific embodiment shown herein, but that extensive deviations from the illustrated form or embodiment of the invention may be made without departing from the principles thereof.

What we claim is:

1. A control unit for a, washing machine provided with a tub, spray means mounted within the tub, fluid inlet and outlet conduits for the tub, a recirculation conduit connected at one end with the spray means, and a motor driven pump for the re-circulation assembly and provided with an inlet connected with the tub outlet and an outlet arranged to be selectively connected with the opposite end of the re-circulation conduit or to a drain, such unit functioning to control introduction of fluid to the tub for the washing and rinsing parts of a cycle of operation and to recirculate such fluid through the spray means during each such part, such unit comprising a timer motor provided with speed-reducing means and a drive shaft driven by said speed reducing means arranged to turn one revolution during the cycle, cams provided with plural rises keyed to such shaft, a one-way reciprocating valve whose valve stem directly engages one of said cams to open such valve at least two times during a cycle of operation to admit fluid to the tub inlet for the washing and rinsing parts of the cycle, a

two-way reciprocating valve whose valve stem directly engages another of said cams, said valve being provided with an inlet connected with the pump outlet and with outlets leading to the spray conduit and to the drain, respectively, and plural rises on said latter cam to move said valve to connect the fluid outlet with the drain, and cams keyed to the drive shaft for controlling operation of the motors.

2. A control unit for a washing machine provided with a tub, spray means mounted within the tub, fluid inlet and outlet conduits for the tub, a re-circulation conduit connected at one end with the spray means, and a motor driven pump for the re-circulation assembly and provided with an inlet connected with the tub out let and an outlet arranged to be selectively connected with the opposite end of the recirculation conduit or to a drain, such unit functioning to control introduction of fluid to the tub for the washing and rinsing parts of a cycle of operation and to re-circulate such fluid through the spray means during each such part, such unit comprising a timer motor provided with speed-reducing means and :a drive shaft driven by said speedreducing means arranged to turn at least a portion of a revolution during the cycle, cams provided with plural rises keyed to such shaft, a one-way reciprocating valve whose valve stem directly engages one of said cams to open such valve at least two times during a cycle of operation to admit fluid to the tub inlet for the washing and rinsing parts of the cycle, a two-way reciprocating valve whose valve stem directly engages another of said cams, said valve being provided with an inlet connected with the pump outlet and with outlets leading to the spray conduit and to the drain, respectively, and plural rises on said latter cam to move said valve to connect the fluid outlet with the drain, said cams moving the valves in one direction and spring moving the valves in the opposite direction and earns keyed to the drive shaft for controlling operation of the motors.

3. In a dish-washing machine, the combination of spray means mounted within the tub, fluid inlet and outlet conduits connected with the tub, and a re-circulation conduit connected at one end with the spray means, a pump for the recirculation assembly, a motor to drive the pump, such pump being provided with an inlet connected with the tub outlet and an outlet arranged to be selectively connected with the opposite end of the re-circulation conduit or to a drain and means functioning to control introduction of fluid to the tub for washing and rinsing parts of a cycle of operation and to recirculate such fluid through the spray means during each such part, such unit comprising a timer motor provided with speed-reducing means and a drive shaft driven by the speed-reducing means arranged to turn not more than one revolution during the cycle, cams provided with plural rises keyed to such shaft, a one-way reciprocating valve whose valve stem directly engages one of said cams to open such valve at least two times during a cycle of operation to admit fluid to the tub inlet for the washing and rinsing parts of the cycle, a, two-way reciprocating valve whose valve stem directly engages another of said'cams, said valve being provided with outlets leading to the spray conduit and to the drain, respectively, and plural rises on said latter cam to move said valve to connect the fluid outlet with the drain, and cams keyed to the drive shaft for controlling operation of the motors. .4

JULIUS LA RAU-S. DAVID W. WOLLIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,291,266 Traube Jan. 14, 1919 1,340,517 Ashley May 18, 1920 1,580,476 Fassio Apr. 13, 1926 1,965,694 Drum July 10, 1934 2,150,638 Scott Mar. 14, 1939 2,244,301 Le Gore June 3, 1941 2,355,455 McPhilomy Aug. 8, 1944 2,447,848 Edwards Aug. 24, 1948