Spray arm assemblies for dishwasher appliances
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorRajesh Swarnkar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spray arm system for cleaning articles in the wash chamber of a dishwasher appliance is provided. The spray arm system includes an elongated spray arm and an orbital spray arm positioned near opposite, bottom corners of the wash chamber. The elongated spray arm pivots about one corner within a horizontal plane and the orbital spray arm rotates about a central axis near the opposite corner. The elongated spray arm may be motor-driven, the orbital spray arm may be fluid-powered, and the spray arms may be operated independently or at the same time.
Claims19
A spray arm system for cleaning articles in a wash chamber defined by a wash tub of a dishwasher appliance, the wash tub having a bottom defining a first bottom corner and an opposing, second bottom corner, the spray arm system comprising:
- an elongated spray arm having a first end and a second end, the elongated spray arm defining a plurality of orifices between the first end and the second end for directing wash fluid onto articles in the wash chamber, the elongated spray arm being rotatably mounted at the first end to the first bottom corner so as to define a pivot point about which the elongated spray arm is configured to swing back and forth within a first horizontal plane to cover a first coverage area within the first horizontal plane;
- a drive motor operably coupled with the elongated spray arm, the drive motor being positioned outside of the wash tub proximate the first bottom corner;
- and
- a rotating spray arm defining a plurality of orifices for directing wash fluid onto articles in the wash chamber, the rotating spray arm being positioned near the second bottom corner and being rotatable about a central axis of the rotating spray arm within the first horizontal plane to cover a second coverage area within the first horizontal plane that does not overlap with the first coverage area.
A dishwasher appliance, comprising:
- a wash tub that defines a wash chamber, the wash chamber defining lateral, transverse, and vertical directions;
- a rack assembly slidably positioned within the wash chamber of the tub and configured for receipt of articles for washing;
- a spray arm system comprising:
- a first spray arm assembly comprising a drive motor positioned outside of the wash tub proximate a first bottom corner of the wash chamber, a gear box disposed at the first bottom corner of the wash chamber and operatively coupling the drive motor to an elongated spray arm, the elongated spray arm having a first end at the first bottom corner and a second end and being configured to pivot about the first end between 0 degrees and 90 degrees in a first horizontal plane to cover a first coverage area within the first horizontal plane;
- and
- a second spray arm assembly comprising a rotating spray arm being positioned near a second bottom corner and being rotatable about a central axis of the rotating spray arm, the rotating spray arm further defining at least two spray jets configured to spray in opposite directions along a horizontal plane to impart rotational force on the rotating spray arm about the central axis within the first horizontal plane to cover a second coverage area within the first horizontal plane that does not overlap with the first coverage area;
- and
- a diverter for selectively distributing wash fluid from a recirculating pump to the spray arm system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.