Self cleaning diverter valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10619289-B2
Application number	US-201715827134-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2017
Priority date	Feb 27, 2017
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

A fluid delivery system for a laundry appliance includes a blower that delivers process air along an airflow path. A drum receives process air to dry laundry. A heat exchanger dehumidifies the process air and removes condensate therefrom. A drain channel receives condensate from the heat exchanger. A pump directs fluid from the drain channel and along a fluid path. The fluid at least partially includes the condensate. A fluid diverter valve receives the fluid from the pump and selectively and delivers the fluid sequentially to a plurality of spray nozzles that direct a flow of the fluid onto a lint filter and toward the drain channel and a fluid outlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid delivery system for a laundry appliance, the fluid delivery system comprising:
a blower that delivers process air along an airflow path;
a drum for receiving the process air to dry laundry;
a heat exchanger for dehumidifying the process air and removing condensate therefrom;
a drain channel that receives the condensate from the heat exchanger;
a pump that directs fluid from the drain channel and along a fluid path, the fluid at least partially including the condensate; and
a fluid diverter valve that receives the fluid from the pump and selectively delivers the fluid, sequentially, to:
a plurality of spray nozzles that direct a flow of the fluid onto a lint filter that separates lint from the process air and directs the flow of the fluid and the lint toward the drain channel; and
a fluid outlet, wherein the flow of the fluid is a recirculating flow of fluid that moves from the drain channel and to the plurality of spray nozzles via the fluid diverter valve, wherein the recirculating flow of the fluid includes the condensate and the lint.

2. The fluid delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the flow of the fluid is configured to remove lint particles from an upstream surface of the lint filter and direct the flow of the fluid and the lint particles into the drain channel.

3. The fluid delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid outlet directs the fluid to a removable bottle.

4. The fluid delivery system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of spray nozzles includes first and second spray nozzles, and wherein the fluid diverter valve operates a cleaning phase characterized by the flow of the fluid being sequentially delivered to the first spray nozzle and the second spray nozzle.

5. The fluid delivery system of claim 4 , wherein the cleaning phase includes the pump and the fluid diverter valve defining the recirculating flow of the fluid from the drain channel, to the plurality of spray nozzles and back to the drain channel.

6. The fluid delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the removable bottle is configured to hold a full capacity of the fluid, and wherein the removable bottle includes an overflow port that directs the fluid in excess of the full capacity to a sump that houses the pump and receives the fluid from the drain channel.

7. The fluid delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid diverter valve includes a rotating disk that selectively operates through a plurality of disk positions, the plurality of disk positions including a plurality of cleaning phase positions that delivers the fluid to the plurality of spray nozzles, respectively, and a drain position that delivers the fluid to the fluid outlet.

8. The fluid delivery system of claim 7 , wherein the fluid diverter valve includes a sensor that is coupled to the rotating disk, and wherein the sensor selectively activates a motor of the fluid diverter valve to operate the rotating disk between the plurality of disk positions.

9. A fluid delivery system for a laundry appliance, the fluid delivery system comprising:
a blower that delivers process air through an airflow path;
a heat exchanger of the airflow path that dehumidifies the process air and forms condensate that is delivered to a common drain channel;
a lint filter that is disposed upstream of an evaporator for separating lint particles from the process air;
a fluid diverter valve that selectively delivers fluid from the common drain channel at least to a spray nozzle for delivering a flow of the fluid to a surface of the lint filter to separate the lint particles from an upstream surface of the lint filter, wherein the fluid and the lint particles are directed to the common drain channel, and wherein the fluid includes the condensate and the lint particles; and
a removable bottle in selective communication with the fluid diverter valve, wherein the fluid diverter valve is operable to selectively and alternatively deliver the fluid from the common drain channel to the spray nozzle and the removable bottle.

10. The fluid delivery system of claim 9 , wherein the fluid diverter valve includes a rotating disk that selectively operates through a plurality of disk positions, the disk positions including a cleaning position that delivers the fluid to the spray nozzle and a drain position that delivers the fluid to the removable bottle.

11. The fluid delivery system of claim 10 , wherein the fluid diverter valve includes a sensor that is coupled to the rotating disk, and wherein the sensor selectively activates a motor of the fluid diverter valve to operate the rotating disk between the plurality of disk positions.

12. The fluid delivery system of claim 10 , wherein the spray nozzle is attached to an interior surface of the airflow path and includes a fluid inlet that extends through the interior surface of the airflow path, and wherein an attachment surface of the spray nozzle includes a concentric sealing geometry that directly engages the interior surface of the airflow path.

13. The fluid delivery system of claim 12 , wherein the spray nozzle directly engages a surface of the lint filter and maintains a position of a top portion of the lint filter relative to the airflow path.

14. The fluid delivery system of claim 12 , wherein the spray nozzle includes a laminar flow path that extends continuously from the fluid inlet to a deflecting surface that directs the fluid to the upstream surface of the lint filter.

15. The fluid delivery system of claim 14 , wherein the deflecting surface includes a multi-faceted surface that directs the fluid into a generally flat fluid spray.

16. The fluid delivery system of claim 11 , wherein the rotating disk of the fluid diverter valve defines a mixing chamber that is configured to deliver the fluid that partially includes the lint particles through the fluid diverter valve and, selectively and alternatively, to the spray nozzle and the removable bottle.

17. The fluid delivery system of claim 11 , wherein the rotating disk includes a valve opening that selectively and sequentially aligns with a plurality of valve outlets, wherein the sensor and the motor cooperate to align the valve opening with each respective valve outlet of the plurality of valve outlets.

18. A method for operating a fluid delivery system for an appliance, the method comprising steps of:
operating a blower for directing process air through an airflow path;
directing the process air through a lint filter to separate lint particles from the process air;
directing the process air through a heat exchanger to separate condensate from the process air;
directing the condensate to a drain channel;
pumping the condensate in the drain channel to a fluid diverter valve;
operating the fluid diverter valve to direct the condensate to an upstream surface of the lint filter to direct the condensate and the lint particles into the drain channel, wherein the condensate and the lint particles define a fluid;
recirculating the fluid from the drain channel to spray nozzles to complete a cleaning cycle; and
operating the fluid diverter valve after completion of the cleaning cycle to perform a drain cycle, wherein the fluid diverter valve directs the fluid from the drain channel to a removable bottle.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the steps of operating the fluid diverter valve include operating a rotating disk that selectively operates through a plurality of spray positions, the plurality of spray positions defining a cleaning phase and a drain phase of the fluid diverter valve.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Bocchino Gianluca
• Rajendran Arun

Classifications

• D06F2103/00

  Parameters monitored or detected for the control of domestic laundry washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers · CPC title

• D06F58/22 Primary

  Lint collecting arrangements · CPC title

• D06F58/50

  Responding to irregular working conditions, e.g. malfunctioning of blowers · CPC title

• D06F2058/2858

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic

• D06F58/28

  Textiles & Paper · mapped topic