Pump Assembly for a Dishwasher Appliance
AssigneeHaier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
InventorTimothy Kopera
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dishwasher appliance includes a pump assembly for circulating wash fluid within a wash chamber and discharging wash fluid from a drain basin. The pump assembly includes a wash pump impeller coupled to a drive shaft and a drain pump impeller coupled to the drive shaft using a clutch, such as a centrifugal clutch. At speeds below a predetermined speed threshold, the clutch remains disengaged such that only the wash pump impeller rotates. When the speed of the drive shaft exceeds the predetermined speed threshold, the clutch engages causing the drain pump impeller to rotate and discharge wash fluid from the drain basin.
Claims20
A pump assembly for a dishwasher appliance, the pump assembly comprising:
- a drive shaft;
- a motor operable to rotate the drive shaft;
- a wash pump impeller positioned within a pump housing and being coupled to the drive shaft;
- a drain pump impeller positioned within a drain volute;
- and
- a clutch operably coupling the drain pump impeller to the drive shaft, the clutch being movable between a disengaged position when the motor is operating below a predetermined speed threshold and an engaged position when the motor is operating above the predetermined speed threshold.
A dishwasher appliance defining a vertical direction, the dishwasher appliance comprising:
- a wash tub that defines a wash chamber;
- a sump for collecting wash fluid;
- and
- a pump assembly positioned within the sump for pumping wash fluid, the pump assembly comprising:
- a drive shaft;
- a motor operable to rotate the drive shaft;
- a wash pump impeller positioned within a pump housing and being coupled to the drive shaft;
- a drain pump impeller positioned within a drain volute;
- and
- a clutch operably coupling the drain pump impeller to the drive shaft, the clutch being movable between a disengaged position when the motor is operating below a predetermined speed threshold and an engaged position when the motor is operating above the predetermined speed threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.