# US 11,297,998 B2 · Dishwasher > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,297,998 B2 - Document ID: US11297998B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/271,357 - Filed: 2019-02-08 - Published: 2019-08-08 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-08 - Assignees: LG Electronics Inc. - Applicants: LG Electronics Inc. - Inventors: Sangheon Yoon; Daegyu Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11297998B2 ## CPC - A47L 15/488: {Connections of the tub with the ambient air, e.g. air intake or venting arrangements} - A47L 15/483: {by using condensers} - A47L 15/486: {Blower arrangements} - A47L 15/4221: {Arrangements for redirection of washing water, e.g. water diverters to selectively supply the spray arms (A47L15/0078 takes precedence)} - A47L 2501/10: Air circulation, e.g. air intake or venting arrangements - A47L 2501/11: Air heaters - Y02B 40/00: Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract A dishwasher includes: a cabinet defining an external appearance of the dishwasher; a tub disposed in the cabinet to form a space where to wash dishes, and having an exhaust hole formed on an upper surface of the tub; and an external air flow unit forming a flow path, along which external air is introduced and discharged, and having an inflow hole formed above the exhaust hole to communicate with the tub, wherein the external air flow unit takes a shape in which a cross-sectional area of the flow path decreases in an upstream side of the inflow hole in a flow direction of the external air and increases in a downstream side of the inflow hole. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A dishwasher comprising: a cabinet that defines an external appearance of the dishwasher; a tub that is located in the cabinet and that defines a wash space configured to receive one or more objects to be washed, the tub defining an exhaust hole at an upper surface of the tub; an external air flow unit that defines a flow path configured to introduce external air into a space between the tub and the cabinet and to discharge the external air to an outside of the tub, the external air flow unit defining an inflow hole located vertically above the exhaust hole and configured to communicate with the tub; and a cap that connects the tub and the external air flow unit, that is located between the exhaust hole and the inflow hole, and that is configured to block wash water sprayed from the tub, wherein the external air flow unit is configured to guide external air from a downstream side of the inflow hole to an upstream side of the inflow hole, wherein a cross-sectional area of the flow path decreases from the upstream side to the inflow hole and increases from the inflow hole to the downstream side, and wherein the cap comprises: a first cover located vertically below a center of the cap, the first cover having a circular plate shape, a second cover that is located at a circumference of the first cover and that extends upward, the second cover having an inclined surface that is inclined toward the center of the cap, and a third cover that is located at a circumference of the second cover and that extends upward, the third cover having a bent surface that is bent toward the center of the cap. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the external air flow unit further comprises: an external air inflow part located vertically below the tub, the external air inflow part comprising a flow fan configured to introduce external air to the external air flow unit; a heat exchanger that communicates with the external air inflow part and that is in surface contact with a side surface of the tub; and an external air discharge part that communicates with the heat exchanger, that is located at the upper surface of the tub, and that is configured to (i) allow the external air from the heat exchanger to be mixed with internal air from the tub and (ii) discharge the mixed air to the outside of the tub. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the external air discharge part comprises an inflow end configured to receive the external air from the heat exchanger, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a discharge end portion that faces the inflow end of the external air discharge part and that defines a first cross-sectional area of the flow path, and wherein the flow path extends, based on maintaining the first cross-sectional area, from the inflow end of the external air discharge part to the inflow hole of the external air flow unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The dishwasher of claim 3, wherein the tub defines a front opening that is open in a forward direction, and wherein the external air discharge part defines a discharge hole configured to discharge the mixed air in the forward direction. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the heat exchanger comprises: an expanding tubular portion that is located at a lower side of the tub, the cross-sectional area of the flow path increasing from a first to a second size in the expanding tubular portion; a maintaining tubular portion that is located vertically above the expanding tubular portion, the cross-sectional area of the flow path having the second size in the maintaining tubular portion; and a narrowing tubular portion that is located vertically above the maintaining tubular portion, the cross-sectional area of the flow path decreasing from the second size to a third size in the narrowing tubular portion, and wherein the external air discharge part comprises an inflow end that faces the narrow tubular portion, the cross-sectional area of the flow path having the third size at the inflow end. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The dishwasher of claim 5, wherein the external air flow unit further comprises a connecting tube that connects the heat exchanger to the external air discharge part, and wherein the connecting tube maintains the cross-sectional area of the flow path to be the second size. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The dishwasher of claim 5, wherein the third size of the cross-sectional area of the flow path is less than the first size of the cross-sectional area of the flow path. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The dishwasher of claim 2, wherein the heat exchanger comprises: a heat exchange chamber that is in surface contact with the side surface of the tub and that defines a space configured to allow air to flow in the heat exchanger; and a flow path guide located in the heat exchange chamber and configured to guide flow of air in the heat exchange chamber. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The dishwasher of claim 8, wherein the flow path guide extends from an inner surface of the heat exchange chamber in a direction inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the tub. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the cap is further configured to guide air exhausted from the tub toward the inflow hole of the external air flow unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the cap further comprises a connecting rib that radially extends from the center of the cap and that connects the first cover, the second cover, and the third cover to one another. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The dishwasher of claim 11, wherein the connecting rib extends upward from an upper surface of the first cover, and wherein an upper surface of the connecting rib is coplanar with upper surfaces of the second cover and the third cover. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the second cover is located radially outward of the first cover, and the third cover is located radially outward of the second cover. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The dishwasher of claim 13, wherein the second cover and the first cover are spaced apart from each other in a radial direction and define a first outlet configured to guide at least a portion of air exhausted from the tub toward the inflow hole of the external air flow unit, and wherein the third cover and the second cover are spaced apart from each other in the radial direction and define a second outlet configured to guide at least a portion of air exhausted from the tub toward the inflow hole of the external air flow unit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the cabinet and the tub are spaced apart from each other and define a space that accommodates the external air flow unit between an inner surface of the cabinet and an outer surface of the tub. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the external air flow unit is configured to, based on guiding external air to pass an upper portion of the exhaust hole, suction internal air from the tub through the exhaust hole. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the external air flow unit extends from a bottom surface of the tub to a top surface of the tub, and contacts an outside surface of the tub, and wherein the external air flow unit is configure to, based on contacting the outside surface of the tub, cause condensation of internal air at an inside surface of the tub opposite to the outside surface of the tub. ### Claim 18 (depends on 4) The dishwasher of claim 4, wherein a width of the discharge hole is greater than a width of the inflow end of the external air discharge part. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, wherein the external air flow unit is configured to discharge, to the outside of the tub, at least one of the external air guided through the flow path or internal air discharged from the tub, either or both, through the inflow hole. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The dishwasher of claim 1, further comprising a door disposed at a front side of the cabinet and configured to open and close a front opening defined in the front side of the cabinet, and wherein the external air flow unit is spaced apart from the door and disposed between a lateral side surface of the cabinet and a lateral side surface of the tub.