Dishwasher

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10820780-B2
Application number	US-202016856083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2020
Priority date	Jun 27, 2013
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A dishwasher has a treating chamber with four corners and a rotatable sprayer located within the treating chamber, where the sprayer includes two conduit segments which rotate about two different axes and a spray head which rotates about yet another axis. The combined rotation of the conduit segments moves the spray head in a non-circular path around the treating chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of spraying liquid in a dishwasher having a treating chamber with four corners and a sprayer located within the treating chamber, the method comprising:
rotating a first conduit segment of the sprayer about a first axis, the sprayer comprising at least three rotatable sections, which are rotatable about separate axes, a first rotatable section formed by the first conduit segment, which is rotationally mounted relative to the treating chamber for rotation about the first axis, a second rotatable section formed by a second conduit segment rotationally mounted to the first conduit segment at a location radially spaced from the first axis for rotation about a second axis, and a third rotatable section formed by a spray head rotationally mounted to the second conduit segment at a location radially spaced from the second axis for rotation about a third axis;
rotating the second conduit segment of the sprayer about the second axis; and
rotating the spray head of the sprayer about the third axis radially spaced from the second axis;
wherein the rotation of the first and second conduit segments translate the spray head along a generally rectangular route in the treating chamber, and the generally rectangular route having four corners corresponding to the four corners of the treating chamber to provide a direct spraying in the four corners of the treating chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating the spray head comprises spraying liquid from at least one drive nozzle of the spray head.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein rotating the spray head comprises pumping liquid through the first and second conduit segments to the at least one drive nozzle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating the second conduit segment comprises rotating the second conduit segment at a higher RPM than the first conduit segment, and rotating the spray head comprises rotating the spray head at a higher RPM than the first and second conduit segments.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the generally rectangular route comprises a generally square route.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating the first and second conduit segments comprises translating the spray head through a path having an outer boundary defining a squircle with four rounded corners corresponding to the four corners of the treating chamber.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the rotating of the second conduit segment translating the spray head retracts the spray head when the spray head is adjacent to side walls of the treating chamber such that the spray head traverses a path having an outer boundary defining a squircle with four rounded corners corresponding to the four corners of the treating chamber.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising spraying from at least one additional sprayer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the spraying from at least one additional sprayer comprises spraying utilizing a rotatable sprayer moving in a rotational pattern.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating the first conduit segment, the second conduit segment, and the spray head translates the second conduit segment about the treating chamber in a path having a generally circular route, moving the spray head in an orbital path with respect to the second conduit segment having a smaller circular route, and as the spray head is rotated about the third axis, compounded rotation of the first conduit segment and second conduit segment translates the third axis of the spray head along a generally rectangular route in the treating chamber, the generally rectangular route having four corners corresponding to the four corners of the treating chamber.

11. A method of spraying liquid in dishwasher, the method comprising:
rotating a first conduit segment of a sprayer about a first axis within a treating chamber having four corners and a sidewall, the sprayer;
rotating a second conduit segment of the sprayer, which is rotationally mounted to the first conduit segment, about a second axis radially spaced from the first axis; and
rotating a spray head of the sprayer about a third axis radially spaced from the second axis, the spray head mounted to the second conduit segment;
wherein the rotation of the second conduit segment translates the third axis of the spray head to an extended length in which the third axis of the spray head is a first distance from the first axis of the first conduit segment when the spray head is at one of the four corners and a retracted length in which the third axis of the spray head is a second distance from the first axis of the first conduit segment, wherein the first distance is larger than the second distance, when the spray head is adjacent the sidewall of the treating chamber such that the spray head traverses a path having an outer boundary defining a squircle with four rounded corners corresponding to the four corners of the treating chamber.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein rotating the spray head comprises spraying liquid from at least one drive nozzle of the spray head.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein rotating the spray head comprises pumping liquid through the first and second conduit segments to the at least one drive nozzle.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising spraying from at least one additional sprayer.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the spraying from at least one additional sprayer comprises spraying from a rotatable sprayer moving in a rotational pattern.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the spray head overlies an entirety of a length of the second conduit segment.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the rotating the first conduit segment comprises rotating the first conduit segment at a lower RPM than the second conduit segment.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the rotating the spray head comprises rotating the spray head at a higher RPM than the first conduit segment and the second conduit segment.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein an upper surface of the first conduit segment has a first height at a first distal end and a second height that is reduced from the first height at a second distal end.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the second conduit segment has a length less than the first conduit segment.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Welch Rodney M

Classifications

• A47L15/4282 Primary

  Arrangements to change or modify spray pattern or direction · CPC title

• A47L15/23

  moved by means of the sprays · CPC title