WO2018083030A1

WO2018083030A1 - A dishwasher with decreased water consumption

Info

Publication number: WO2018083030A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/077612
Authority: WO
Inventors: Doruk TURGUL; Gokhan Ak
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2016-11-07
Filing date: 2017-10-27
Publication date: 2018-05-11
Also published as: TR201615841A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dishwasher (1) comprising a tub (2) wherein the washing process is realized; a sump (3) wherein the washing water is collected; an upper rack (4) and a lower rack (5) that are disposed in the tub (2) and whereon the items to be washed are placed; a spray arm (7) that is disposed at the underside of the upper rack (4) and that has nozzles (6) providing the delivery of water mostly onto the items to be washed in the upper rack (4) and partially onto the items to be washed in the lower rack (5), and a circulation pump (8) that delivers the water in the sump (3) to the spray arm (7).

Description

A DISHWASHER WITH DECREASED WATER CONSUMPTION

The present invention relates to a dishwasher with decreased water consumption.

In dishwashers, the washing process is generally realized by spraying water from the spray arms disposed under the racks onto the items placed into the upper and lower racks. The component spraying water is called spray arm in the state of the art. Washing water delivered from the circulation pump to the spray arms with a certain pressure and flow rate is spray from the spray arm nozzles as water jet, thus providing the rotation of the spray arms and the washing of the dishes. In widely used spray arms, the spray arm of the lower rack washes the lower rack while the spray arm of the upper rack washes the upper rack. In some embodiments, nozzles are provided at the underside of the spray arm of the upper rack and thus, the spray arm of the upper rack contributes to the washing of the dishes in the lower rack. The amount of water sent to the upper spray arm so as to support the washing in the lower rack can be controlled only by decreasing the number of lower nozzles; however, delivery of excessive water to the lower rack with the effect of gravity cannot be prevented. More than the amount of water required for washing the upper rack with the desired performance is delivered to the upper spray arm, thus increasing water consumption.

In the United States Patent Application No. US2015090306 (A1), a spray control assembly in a dishwasher is disclosed.

In the European Patent Application No. EP2974644 (A1), a dishwasher comprising a spray arm composed of different partitions is disclosed.

In the International Patent Application No. WO2015009916 (A1), a dishwasher is disclosed, wherein the washing and rinsing steps are realized by means of the washing water flow supplied from two different channels on the single spray arm.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a dishwasher with improved washing efficiency wherein the washing water is delivered to the spray arm in a controlled manner, thus providing savings in water consumption.

In the dishwasher realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention, the spray arm spraying water onto the upper rack and partially onto the lower rack so as to provide the washing of the dishes is divided into two partitions, wherein the water does not mix, as an upper receptacle and a lower receptacle by means of a partition wall. The water sent to the spray arm by means of the circulation pump is guided by a valve. The valve enables the water sent to the spray arm to be guided one by one in predetermined times and amounts to the upper receptacle for washing the upper rack and to the lower receptacle for washing the lower rack.

The washing water guided by the valve is delivered to the upper and lower receptacles of the spray arm by means of a water delivery line composed of a vertical supply tube and a horizontal connection tube. The water delivery line comprises ducts that are disposed one within the other or side by side and that extend from inside the supply tube and the connection tube up to the spray arm. The water is delivered to the upper receptacle by means of the first duct and to the lower receptacle by means of the second duct. The valve is designed so as to separately guide water to the above-mentioned ducts positioned one within the other or side by side.

In the dishwasher of the present invention, by separating the water delivered to the spray arm and washing the upper rack from the water washing the lower rack, washing performance is increased, providing savings in water consumption.

The dishwasher realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention is illustrated in the attached figures, where,

Figure 1 - is the schematic view of the dishwasher of the present invention.

Figure 2 - is the perspective view of the valve, the water delivery line and the spray arm in the dishwasher.

Figure 3 - is the cross-sectional view of the valve, the water delivery line and the spray arm in the dishwasher.

Figure 4 - is the view of detail A in Figure 3.

Figure 5 - is the view of detail B in Figure 3.

Figure 6 - is the cross-sectional view of the spray arm.

Figure 7 - is the view of detail C in Figure 6.

Figure 8 - is the cross-sectional view of the connection tube in the water delivery line.

Figure 9 - is the cross-sectional view of the valve.

Figure 10 - is the view of the valve, the supply tube with nested ducts and the spray arm.

Figure 11 - the view of the valve, the supply tube with side-by-side ducts and the spray arm.

Figure 12 - is the perspective view of the valve and the shutter in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13 - is the cross-sectional view of the valve and the shutter showing different water guiding positions.

Figure 14 - is the perspective view of the valve and the shutter in another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15 - is the perspective view of the valve and partially of the supply view in the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 14.

The elements in the figures are numbered as follows:

Dishwasher
Washing tub
Sump
Upper rack
Lower rack
Nozzle
Spray arm
Circulation pump
Upper receptacle
Lower receptacle
Partition wall
Valve
Supply tube
Connection tube
Delivery line
Upper inlet port
Lower inlet port
First duct
Second duct
Support
First outlet
Second outlet
Electric motor
First opening
Second opening
Shutter
Bush

The dishwasher (1) comprises a tub (2) wherein the washing process is realized; a sump (3) wherein the washing water is collected; an upper rack (4) and a lower rack (5) that are disposed in the tub (2) and whereon the items to be washed are placed; a spray arm (7) that is disposed at the underside of the upper rack (4) and that has nozzles (6) providing the delivery of water mostly onto the items to be washed in the upper rack (4) and partially onto the items to be washed in the lower rack (5), and a circulation pump (8) that delivers the water in the sump (3) to the spray arm (7). The said spray arm (7) refers to the "upper spray arm" and the "lower spray arm" disposed at the underside of the lower rack (5) is not within the embodiment of the present invention. Similarly, the main diverter valve guiding water to the lower and upper spray arms is also excluded from the embodiment of the present invention so as to prevent any confusion with the valve of the present invention.

The dishwasher (1) of the present invention comprises

- a partition wall (11) that extends parallel to the horizontal plane inside the spray arm (7) and that divides the inner volume of the spray arm (7) into two as an upper receptacle (9) positioned at the upper side and a lower receptacle (10) positioned at the lower side, and

- a valve (12) that enables the water sent from the circulation pump (8) to the spray arm (7) to be guided one by one in predetermined times and amounts to the upper receptacle (9) for washing the upper rack (4) and to the lower receptacle (10) for washing the lower rack (5) (Figure 1).

The dishwasher (1) furthermore comprises a water delivery line (15) that delivers the washing water guided by the valve (12) to the upper receptacle (9) and the lower receptacle (10) in the spray arm (7) and that is composed of a supply tube (13) vertically extending upwards from the valve (12) and a connection tube (14) that extends horizontally from the supply tube (13) towards the spray arm (7) and that delivers the water to the spray arm (7) by being connected to the supply arm (13) when the upper rack (4) is mounted in place (Figure 2, Figure 3).

The spray arm (7) comprises an upper inlet port (16) that is disposed at the center thereof and that enables the water coming from the water delivery line (15) to pass into the upper receptacle (9) and a lower inlet port (17) that is disposed on the partition wall (11) and that enables the water coming from the water delivery line (15) to pass into the lower receptacle (10) (Figure 7).

The water delivery line (15) comprises a first duct (18) that passes through the supply tube (14) and the connection tube (14) so as to extend from the valve (12) to the spray arm (7) and that delivers water to the upper receptacle (9) by being connected to the upper inlet port (16), and a second duct (19) that delivers water to the lower receptacle (10) by being connected to the lower inlet port (17). For the first duct (18) - the upper inlet port (16) and the second duct (19) - the lower inlet port (17) connections, two bushes (27) are used, that are produced from a material with low friction coefficient and that facilitate the rotation of the spray arm (7) around the center thereof (Figure 4).

During the washing process in the dishwasher (1), the water collected in the sump (3) is delivered to the valve (12) by means of the circulation pump (8). The valve (12) guides the water to the upper receptacle (9) and the lower receptacle (10) in the spray arm (7) so as to wash the upper rack (4) and the lower rack (5) in predetermined different times and amounts. The water guided by the valve (12) is delivered to the spray arm (7) by means of the water delivery line (15). The first duct (18) delivering water to the upper receptacle (9) and the second duct (19) delivering water to the lower receptacle (10) are disposed in the supply tube (13) and the connection tube (14) that form the deliver line (15). The washing water is separately delivered to the upper receptacle (9) and the lower receptacle (10) without mixing by means of the first duct (18) and the second duct (19). The water filling into the upper receptacle (9) is sprayed to the upper rack (4) through the nozzles (6) at the upper side of the spray arm (7). The water filling into the lower receptacle (10) is sprayed to the lower rack (5) through the nozzles (6) at the underside of the spray arm (7).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first duct (18) and the second duct (19) are concentrically positioned in a nested manner in the water delivery line (15) and the first duct (18) feeding the upper receptacle (9) surrounds the second duct (19) feeding the lower receptacle (10) from outside. In this embodiment, the water delivery line (15) comprises at least one support (20) that fixes the first duct (18) and the second duct (19) in the nested position (Figure 5).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first duct (18) and the second duct (19) are positioned side by side in the supply tube (13) forming the lower part of the water delivery line (15) (Figure 11, Figure 15) and concentrically positioned in a nested manner in the connection tube (14) forming the upper part of the water delivery line (15).

The valve (12) comprises at least one first outlet (21) that opens to the first duct (18) providing the delivery of the water to the upper receptacle (9) and at least one second outlet (22) that opens to the second duct (19) providing the delivery of the water to the lower receptacle (10) (Figure 9, Figure 12, Figure 14).

The valve (12) furthermore comprises a shutter (26) that makes rotational movement by being driven by an electric motor (23), that enables the valve (12) to guide the water to the upper receptacle (9) from the first outlet (21) and the first duct (18) or to the lower receptacle (10) from the second outlet (22) and the second duct (19) at predetermined times during the washing program, and that has at least one first opening (24) overlapping with the first outlet (21) and at least one second opening (25) overlapping with the second outlet (22) during the rotational movement (Figure 12, Figure 14).

In the dishwasher (1) of the present invention, the spray arm (7) washing the upper rack (4) is divided into two receptacles one above the other as an upper receptacle (9) and a lower receptacle (10) and thus washes the upper rack (4) and the lower rack (5) with water delivered at different times in different amounts, thus providing a more efficient washing process with less water.

Claims

A dishwasher (1) comprising a tub (2) wherein the washing process is realized; a sump (3) wherein the washing water is collected; an upper rack (4) and a lower rack (5) that are disposed in the tub (2) and whereon the items to be washed are placed; a spray arm (7) that is disposed at the underside of the upper rack (4) and that has nozzles (6) providing the delivery of water mostly onto the items to be washed in the upper rack (4) and partially onto the items to be washed in the lower rack (5), and a circulation pump (8) that delivers the water in the sump (3) to the spray arm (7), characterized by

- a partition wall (11) that divides the inner volume of the spray arm (7) into two as an upper receptacle (9) and a lower receptacle (10), and

- a valve (12) that enables the water sent from the circulation pump (8) to the spray arm (7) to be guided one by one in predetermined times and amounts to the upper receptacle (9) for washing the upper rack (4) and to the lower receptacle (10) for washing the lower rack (5).
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the partition wall (11) that extends parallel to the horizontal plane inside the spray arm (7) and that divides the inner volume of the spray arm (7) into two as the upper receptacle (9) positioned at the upper side and the lower receptacle (10) positioned at the lower side.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by a water delivery line (15) that delivers the washing water guided by the valve (12) to the upper receptacle (9) and the lower receptacle (10) in the spray arm (7) and that is composed of a supply tube (13) vertically extending upwards from the valve (12) and a connection tube (14) that extends horizontally from the supply tube (13) towards the spray arm (7) and that delivers the water to the spray arm (7) by being connected to the supply arm (13) when the upper rack (4) is mounted in place.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the spray arm (7) comprising an upper inlet port (16) that is disposed at the center thereof and that enables the water coming from the water delivery line (15) to pass into the upper receptacle (9) and a lower inlet port (17) that is disposed on the partition wall (11) and that enables the water coming from the water delivery line (15) to pass into the lower receptacle (10).
A dishwasher (1) as in any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized by the water delivery line (15) comprising a first duct (18) that passes through the supply tube (14) and the connection tube (14) so as to extend from the valve (12) to the spray arm (7) and that delivers water to the upper receptacle (9) by being connected to the upper inlet port (16), and a second duct (19) that delivers water to the lower receptacle (10) by being connected to the lower inlet port (17).
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 5, characterized by the water delivery line (15) comprising the first duct (18) and the second duct (19) that are concentrically positioned.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 6, characterized by the water delivery line (15) comprising the first duct (18) surrounding the second duct (19) from outside.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 6 or 7, characterized by the water delivery line (15) comprising at least one support (20) that fixes the first duct (18) and the second duct (19) in the concentric position.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 5, characterized by the water delivery line (15) comprising the first duct (18) and the second duct (19) that are positioned side by side in the supply tube (13) and concentrically positioned in the connection tube (14).
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the valve (12) comprising at least one first outlet (21) that opens to the first duct (18) providing the delivery of the water to the upper receptacle (9) and at least one second outlet (22) that opens to the second duct (19) providing the delivery of the water to the lower receptacle (10).
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 10, characterized by the valve (12) comprising a shutter (26) that makes rotational movement by being driven by an electric motor (23) and that enables the valve (12) to guide the water to the upper receptacle (9) from the first outlet (21) and the first duct (18) or to the lower receptacle (10) from the second outlet (22) and the second duct (19).
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 11, characterized by the valve (12) comprising the shutter (26) that has at least one first opening (24) overlapping with the first outlet (21) and at least one second opening (25) overlapping with the second outlet (22) during the rotational movement.