Back to results
US 12,672,753 B2Granted
Multi-stage dishwasher drying system
AssigneeMidea Group Co., Ltd.
InventorsBassam Fawaz, Alexi Blaise Poth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dishwasher includes a drying system that incorporates a mixing conduit that mixes air streams from an exhaust fan that draws humid air from a wash tub, an inlet fan that supplies ambient air to the wash tub, and a gate device that is movable within a range of positions to regulate fluid flow through at least one of first and second inlets of the mixing conduit. A controller may perform a multi-stage drying operation that, in a first stage, controls the gate device while the inlet fan is deactivated, and in a second stage, additionally controls the speed of the inlet fan while controlling the gate device.
Claims19
A dishwasher, comprising:
- a wash tub;
- at least one spray device disposed in the wash tub;
- a fluid supply configured to supply wash fluid to the at least one spray device;
- an air supply in fluid communication with the wash tub and configured to direct an inlet air stream into the wash tub, the air supply including an inlet fan in fluid communication with and upstream of the wash tub;
- an exhaust fan configured to draw a humid air stream from the wash tub from a position downstream of the wash tub;
- a mixing conduit including first and second inlets and an outlet, the first inlet of the mixing conduit in fluid communication with and downstream of the exhaust fan such that the exhaust fan communicates the humid air stream from the wash tub to the first inlet of the mixing conduit, and the second inlet of the mixing conduit configured to receive an ambient air stream that mixes with the humid air stream to thereby lower a dew point of the humid air stream exhausted from the outlet of the mixing conduit;
- a gate device disposed in the mixing conduit downstream of the exhaust fan and movable within a range of positions to regulate fluid flow through at least one of the first and second inlets;
- and
- a controller coupled to the inlet fan and the gate device, the controller configured to, during a first stage of a multi-stage drying operation, vary a position of the gate device within the range of positions while the inlet fan is deactivated, and during a second stage of the multi-stage drying operation, vary the position of the gate device and vary a speed of the inlet fan while the inlet fan is activated;
- wherein the controller is further configured to, during the first stage of the multi-stage drying operation, set an initial speed of the exhaust fan below a maximum speed of the exhaust fan and set an initial position of the gate device that is proximate the first inlet and that still allows for some fluid flow of the humid air stream through the first inlet.
7 more elements
A dishwasher, comprising:
- a wash tub;
- at least one spray device disposed in the wash tub;
- a fluid supply configured to supply wash fluid to the at least one spray device;
- an air supply in fluid communication with the wash tub and configured to direct an inlet air stream into the wash tub, the air supply including an inlet fan in fluid communication with and upstream of the wash tub;
- an exhaust fan configured to draw a humid air stream from the wash tub from a position downstream of the wash tub;
- a mixing conduit including first and second inlets and an outlet, the first inlet of the mixing conduit in fluid communication with and downstream of the exhaust fan such that the exhaust fan communicates the humid air stream from the wash tub to the first inlet of the mixing conduit, and the second inlet of the mixing conduit configured to receive an ambient air stream that mixes with the humid air stream to thereby lower a dew point of the humid air stream exhausted from the outlet of the mixing conduit;
- a gate device disposed in the mixing conduit downstream of the exhaust fan and movable within a range of positions to regulate fluid flow through at least one of the first and second inlets;
- and
- a controller coupled to the inlet fan and the gate device, the controller configured to vary a speed of the inlet fan and a position of the gate device within the range of positions during at least a portion of a drying operation;
- wherein the controller is further configured to, during the drying operation, set an initial speed of the exhaust fan below a maximum speed of the exhaust fan and set an initial position of the gate device that is proximate the first inlet and that still allows for some fluid flow of the humid air stream through the first inlet.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.