WO2019129428A1

WO2019129428A1 - A dishwasher with decreased water consumption

Info

Publication number: WO2019129428A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/081833
Authority: WO
Inventors: Doruk TURGUL; Hasret GURSOY; Can APAYDIN; Huseyin CALISKAN
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2017-12-25
Filing date: 2018-11-20
Publication date: 2019-07-04
Also published as: TR201721418A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dishwasher (1) comprising a tub (2) wherein the washing, rinsing and drying processes are realized; a lower rack (3), an upper rack (4) and a ceiling rack (5) wherein the items to be washed are placed to be loaded into the tub (2); a lower spray arm (6) that sprays water towards the lower rack (3); an upper spray arm (7) that sprays water towards the upper rack (4); a top spray arm (8) that delivers water to the ceiling rack (5) or to the ceiling surface of the tub (2); a circulation pump (9) that provides the circulation of the washing water; a multiport valve (10) that is arranged at the outlet of the circulation pump (9); a water delivery line (11) that delivers the water from the multiport valve (10) to the upper spray arm (7) and the top spray arm (8); an upper rack washing line (12) that delivers the water from the water delivery line (11) to the upper spray arm (7); and a top washing line (13) that delivers the water from the water delivery line (11) to the top spray arm (8). The dishwasher comprises a user-operable manual valve arranged on the water delivery line (11) to cut off or allow the delivery of water to the top washing line (13).

Description

A DISHWASHER WITH DECREASED WATER CONSUMPTION

The present invention relates to a dishwasher comprising a top spray arm and a top spraying assembly in addition to the upper and lower spray arms that enable water to be sprayed onto the dishes during the washing process.

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. Washing water delivered from the circulation pump to the spray arms at a certain pressure and flow rate is sprayed from the spray arm nozzles as water jet, thus providing the rotation of the spray arms and the washing of the dishes. Domestic dishwashers generally comprise two or more racks. While the lower rack is generally used for placing kitchenware such as large plates, pans, pots, etc. that are harder to clean, the upper rack is generally used for placing lighter kitchenware such as smaller plates, bowls, cups, glasses, etc. The third and uppermost rack (ceiling rack) used in some products is generally used for placing items such as forks, knives, spoons, etc. The ceiling rack is washed by means of a third spray arm, that is the top spray arm, other than the lower and upper spray arms and a water spraying assembly. By means of said third rack, the need for using a cutlery basket that generally occupies space in the lower rack is eliminated, and a larger number of items with large volumes such as plates, pots, pans, etc. can be placed into the lower rack. However, sometimes the ceiling rack is not preferred by the users and sometimes left empty since the cutlery basket in the lower rack provides adequate space. When the ceiling rack that is generally detachable is not removed from its place, the spray arm/spraying assembly at the top sprays water into an empty ceiling rack. Thus, a potential amount of water that can be delivered to the lower and middle racks is wasted for an empty rack. Furthermore, the water that is not used by the kitchenware hits the inner surface of the dishwasher tub and increases the noise level. The ceiling rack produced from plastic material becomes wet with the water sent from the top washing line and holds relatively more water than the kitchenware and the metal surfaces, decreasing the drying performance.

The state of the art patent application No. WO2015049237 (A1) discloses a dishwasher with increased washing effectiveness, comprising a top delivery line that delivers the water received from the washing water supply line to the top spray arm.

The state of the art patent application No. WO2011154471 (A1) discloses a dishwasher with increased washing effectiveness, comprising a spray arm composed of stationary and moving parts.

The state of the art patent application No. US2012285496 (A1) discloses two or more spray arms that are used in a dishwasher, that are connected to the same delivery conduit and that receive water through separate flow paths in the delivery conduit.

The state of the art patent application No. US2012285495 (A1) discloses a dishwasher wherein the rotation direction of the spray arm is changed by means of a change-over unit and the washing effectiveness is increased.

The above-mentioned patent applications aim to increase the effectiveness of the washing process but not to decrease the water consumption.

The aim of the present invention is the realization of a dishwasher wherein the delivery of water to the ceiling rack can be easily canceled by the user in cases the ceiling rack in which the kitchenware such as forks, spoons, knives, etc. are washed is not used.

The dishwasher realized in order to attain the aim of the present invention comprises a ceiling rack into which the kitchenware such as forks, spoons, knives, etc. are loaded to be washed and a top washing line that enables the water to be delivered to the ceiling rack. A manual valve that can be rotated and switched to the open and closed positions by the user is provided on the main water delivery line that delivers the washing water to the top washing line. When the ceiling rack is empty and out of use, the manual valve is switched to the closed position. Thus, the flow of water to the top washing line is stopped and unnecessary consumption of water is prevented.

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 water delivery line, the lower and upper spray arms, the top spray arm and a ceiling rack.

Figure 3 - is the perspective view of the upper rack washing line, the top washing line and the manual valve.

Figure 4 - is the schematic view of the water delivery line when the manual valve is in the closed position.

Figure 5 - is the view of the cross-section B-B in Figure 4.

Figure 6 - is the view of cross section C-C in Figure 4.

Figure 7 - is the schematic view of the water delivery line when the manual valve is in the open position.

Figure 8 - is the view of cross section D-D in Figure 7.

Figure 9 - is the view of cross section E-E in Figure 7.

Figure 10 - is the cross-sectional view of the water delivery line when the manual valve is in the closed position.

Figure 11 - is the cross-sectional view of the water delivery line when the manual valve is in the open position.

The elements illustrated in the figures are numbered as follows:

Dishwasher
Tub
Lower rack
Upper rack
Ceiling rack
Lower spray arm
Upper spray arm
Top spray arm
Circulation pump
Multiport valve
Water delivery line
Upper rack washing line
Top washing line
Manual valve
Shutter
Handle
Stopper
Logo

The dishwasher (1) comprises a tub (2) wherein the washing, rinsing and drying processes are realized; a lower rack (3), an upper rack (4) and a ceiling rack (5) wherein the items to be washed are placed; a lower spray arm (6) that sprays water towards the lower rack (3); an upper spray arm (7) that sprays water towards the upper rack (4); a top spray arm (8) or a spraying assembly (not shown in figures) that delivers water to the ceiling rack (5) or to the ceiling surface of the tub (2); a circulation pump (9) that provides the circulation of the washing water; a multiport valve (10) that is arranged at the outlet of the circulation pump (9); a vertical water delivery line (11) that delivers the water from the multiport valve (10) to the upper spray arm (7) and the top spray arm (8) or to the spraying assembly; an upper rack washing line (12) that delivers the water from the water delivery line (11) to the upper spray arm (7); and a top washing line (13) that delivers the water from the water delivery line (11) to the top spray arm (8) or to the spraying assembly.

The dishwasher (1) of the present invention comprises a manual valve (14)

- that is arranged on the water delivery line (11), just above the section where the upper rack washing line (12) is connected,

- that cuts off the water flow from the water delivery line (11) to the top washing line (13) when switched to the closed position by the user, and

- that allows the delivery of water from the water delivery line (11) to the top washing line (13) when switched to the open position by the user.

When the ceiling rack (5) is not loaded with kitchenware by the user and left in the tub (2) or the ceiling rack (5) is taken out of the tub (2) by the user, in short, when the ceiling rack (5) is not in use, the user moves the manual valve (14) in the radial or linear direction to switch the same to the closed position and terminates the water flow to the top washing line (13). When the user wants to allow water flow to the top washing line (13) and activate the top spray arm (8) or the water spraying assembly, he/she moves the manual valve (14) in the radial or linear direction to switch the same to the open position.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the manual valve (14) is switched to the open and the closed positions by being rotated by the user. In this embodiment, the manual valve (14) comprises a shutter (15) that is disposed in the water delivery line (11) and that allows or terminates the water flow, and a handle (16) that is disposed outside the water delivery line (11), that is connected to the shutter (15) and that transfers the rotation movement applied by the user to the shutter (15) by means of a spindle.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the shutter (15) is produced from an oblong plastic plate with rounded corners, having a length that is longer than the width so as to match the transverse cross-section of the water delivery line (11).

When the manual valve (14) is switched to the closed position, the shutter (15) switches to the horizontal position in the water delivery line (11) and the edges thereof contact the inner wall of the water delivery line (11) all around and terminates the water flow to the top washing line (13) by blocking the vertical flow path of the water completely. When the manual valve (14) is switched to the open position, the shutter (15) opens the flow path of the water by moving to the position corresponding to the flowing direction of the water in the water delivery line (11) and allows water flow to the top washing line (13).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the dishwasher (1) comprises at least two stoppers (17), one defining the closed position and the other defining the open position, that is arranged in the inner part of the water delivery line (11) wherein the shutter (15) is provided or in the outer part of the water delivery line (11) wherein the handle (16) is provided, and to which the shutter (15) or the handle (16) bears against when the manual valve (14) is rotated and switched to the open position or the closed position.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the dishwasher (1) comprises at least one logo (18) such as letter, word, number, symbol, sign, etc. (for example, "O": open, "C": closed) that is provided on the visible side of the water delivery line (11) and that indicates the open and closed positions of the manual valve (14) for the user.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the manual valve (14) is a gate valve that is switched to the open and the closed positions by being moved left and right or up and down on the water delivery line (11) by the user (not shown in figures).

The manual valve (14) does not comprise any electrical elements and does not require any addition in terms of electronic and control systems, thus providing cost and design advantage. As the use of the manual valve (14) is very simple, an easier solution than removing the ceiling rack (5) is provided for the user. Since the manual valve (14) cuts off the flow of water to the top washing line (13) that is not in use, the amount of washing water needed is decreased, and the flow rate of the water that is delivered into the washing environment can be decreased by decreasing the rotation speed of the circulation pump (9), providing savings in water consumption. A higher amount of water can be delivered to the lower spray arm (6) and the upper spray arm (7), providing improved washing performance. The circulation pump (9) consumes less energy thanks to the decreased water consumption, and moreover, the energy consumption of the heating element decreases since the amount of water to be heated is decreased, and energy saving is provided. Since the water flow to the top washing line (13) is blocked, the amount of water that hits the inner wall of the tub (2) decreases, also decreasing the level of the generated noise.

Claims

A dishwasher (1) comprising a tub (2); a lower rack (3), an upper rack (4) and a ceiling rack (5); a lower spray arm (6) that sprays water towards the lower rack (3); an upper spray arm (7) that sprays water towards the upper rack (4); a top spray arm (8) or a spraying assembly that delivers water to the ceiling rack (5) or to the ceiling surface of the tub (2); a circulation pump (9); a multiport valve (10); a water delivery line (11) that delivers the water from the multiport valve (10) to the upper spray arm (7) and the top spray arm (8) or to the spraying assembly; an upper rack washing line (12) that delivers the water from the water delivery line (11) to the upper spray arm (7); and a top washing line (13) that delivers the water from the water delivery line (11) to the top spray arm (8) or to the spraying assembly, characterized by a manual valve (14) that is arranged on the water delivery line (11), just above the section where the upper rack washing line (12) is connected, that cuts off the water flow from the water delivery line (11) to the top washing line (13) when switched to the closed position by the user, and that allows the delivery of water from the water delivery line (11) to the top washing line (13) when switched to the open position by the user.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1, characterized by the manual valve (14) that is moved to the open and the closed positions by being rotated by the user, comprising a shutter (15) that is disposed in the water delivery line (11) and that allows or terminates the water flow, and a handle (16) that is connected to the shutter (15) and that transfers the rotation movement applied by the user to the shutter (15) by means of a spindle.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by the manual valve (14) that has the shutter (15) produced from an oblong plastic plate with rounded corners.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by at least two stoppers (17), one defining the closed position and the other defining the open position, to which the shutter (15) or the handle (16) bears against when the manual valve (14) is rotated and switched to the open position or the closed position.
A dishwasher (1) as in Claim 1 or 2, characterized by at least one logo (18) such as letter, word, number, symbol, sign, etc. that is provided on the front side of the water delivery line (11) and that indicates the open and closed positions of the manual valve (14) for the user.