Spray arm assembly and washing appliance provided with same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11523727-B2
Application number	US-201917272619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2019
Priority date	Aug 28, 2018
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A spray arm assembly and a washing appliance provided with same. The spray arm assembly comprises an upper spray arm and a lower spray arm, the upper spray arm being connected to the lower spray arm and being located above the lower spray arm; and further comprises a first ball assembly, and the first ball assembly is arranged at a position where the upper spray arm is connected to and cooperates with the lower spray arm; and the upper spray arm is rotatable relative to the lower spray arm. The hydrodynamic loss caused by using a connection method in a sliding friction manner in the prior art is reduced by means of the first ball assembly, and the smoothness during rotation of the upper and lower spray arms can be improved, and the noise can also be reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spray arm assembly, comprising:
an upper spray arm and a lower spray arm, the upper spray arm being connected to the lower spray arm and being located above the lower spray arm; and
a first ball assembly arranged at a position where the upper spray arm is connected to and cooperates with the lower spray arm, and the upper spray arm is rotatable relative to the lower spray arm;
wherein the upper spray arm comprises an upper spray arm body and an upper spray arm connecting sleeve, the upper spray arm connecting sleeve is arranged on a lower side of the upper spray arm body, the lower spray arm comprises a lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and a lower spray arm body, the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve is arranged on an upper side of the lower spray arm body, and the first ball assembly is arranged at a position where the upper spray arm connecting sleeve is connected to and cooperates with the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve;
wherein the first ball assembly comprises at least a plurality of balls, and the plurality of balls are arranged between the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve;
wherein the first ball assembly further comprises: a bearing base, and the balls are fitted between the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve through the bearing base.

2. The spray arm assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing base comprises:
an inner sleeve configured to cooperate with one of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve;
a middle sleeve fitted over the inner sleeve, the middle sleeve being provided with a plurality of ball holes, the balls being mounted in the ball holes, and the balls protruding from inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the middle sleeve in a radial direction of the middle sleeve; and
an outer sleeve fitted over the middle sleeve, the outer sleeve being configured to cooperate with the other one of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve.

3. The spray arm assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the inner sleeve is integrated with one of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve, so that the inner sleeve constitutes a part of the one; and/or
the outer sleeve is integrated with the other one of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve, so that the outer sleeve constitutes a part of the other one.

4. The spray arm assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the upper spray arm connecting sleeve is fitted over an outer side of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve, the inner sleeve cooperates with the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve, and the outer sleeve cooperates with the upper spray arm connecting sleeve or the outer sleeve is integrated with the upper spray arm connecting sleeve, so that the outer sleeve constitutes a part of the upper spray arm connecting sleeve.

5. The spray arm assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the inner sleeve are detachably connected, wherein the top of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve is provided with a buckle, and the buckle is configured to clamp an upper surface of the inner sleeve, or wherein the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve has lower spray arm external threads, the inner sleeve has inner sleeve internal threads, and the inner sleeve internal threads are configured to be screwed with and fixed to the lower spray arm external threads.

6. The spray arm assembly according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of balls are arranged above a middle sleeve, and ball holes are major-arc holes and are formed with ball fetching ports are formed at top notches, wherein a weakening groove is arranged between two adjacent ball holes.

7. The spray arm assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the bearing base comprises:
an inner sleeve configured to cooperate with one of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve; and
an outer sleeve fitted over the inner sleeve, the outer sleeve being configured to cooperate with the other one of the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and the upper spray arm connecting sleeve.

8. The spray arm assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the upper spray arm body is 0.5 to 2 times a length of the lower spray arm body.

9. A spray arm assembly, comprising:
a spray arm comprising an upper spray arm and a lower spray arm, the upper spray arm being connected to the lower spray arm and being located above the lower spray arm;
a first ball assembly arranged at a position where the upper spray arm is connected to and cooperates with the lower spray arm, and the upper spray arm is rotatable relative to the lower spray arm;
a spray arm base, wherein the spray arm is connected to the spray arm base, and the spray arm is rotatable relative to the spray arm base; and
a second ball assembly arranged at a position where the spray arm is connected to and cooperates with the spray arm base.

10. The spray arm assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the lower spray arm comprises: a lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve and a lower spray arm body, the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve is arranged on an upper side of the lower spray arm body, the upper spray arm comprises: an upper spray arm body and an upper spray arm connecting sleeve, the upper spray arm connecting sleeve is arranged on a lower side of the upper spray arm body, and the first ball assembly is arranged at a position where the upper spray arm connecting sleeve is connected to and cooperates with the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve.

11. The spray arm assembly according to claim 10 , wherein both the first ball assembly and the second ball assembly comprise at least a plurality of balls, the plurality of balls of the first ball assembly are arranged at the position where the upper spray arm connecting sleeve is connected to and cooperates with the lower spray arm upper connecting sleeve, and the plurality of balls of the second ball assembly are arranged at the position where the lower spray arm is connected to and cooperates with the spray arm base.

12. The spray arm assembly according to claim 11 , wherein both the first ball assembly and the second ball assembly further comprise: a middle sleeve, the middle sleeve is provided with a plurality of ball holes, the balls are mounted in the ball holes, and the balls protrude beyond inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the middle sleeve in a radial direction of the middle sleeve.

13. The spray arm assembly according to claim 11 , wherein both the first ball assembly and the second ball assembly further comprise: an inner sleeve, the inner sleeve is arranged on inner sides of the balls, and an outer circumferential surface of the inner sleeve is provided with an inner sleeve ball groove configured to cooperate with the balls.

14. The spray arm assembly according to claim 13 , wherein both the first ball assembly and the second ball assembly further comprise: an outer sleeve, the outer sleeve is arranged on outer sides of the balls, and an inner circumferential surface of the outer sleeve is provided with an outer sleeve ball groove configured to cooperate with the balls.

15. The spray arm assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the upper spray arm connecting sleeve is in interference fit with the outer sleeve of the first ball assembly; or
the outer sleeve of the first ball assembly

Assignees

• Foshan Shunde Midea Washing Appliances Mfg Co Ltd
• Midea Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xiong Haoping
• Zhao Liming
• Fei wangchun
• Zhang Jingyi

Classifications

• A47L15/23 Primary

  moved by means of the sprays · CPC title

• B05B3/06

  by jet reaction · CPC title

• B05B3/025

  Rotational joints · CPC title