Back to results
US 7,621,283 B2Granted
Appliance methods and apparatus
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsMartin Mitchell Zentner, James Alan Cosgrove, Ronald Scott Tarr, Errin Whitney Gnadinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method includes using a turbine ratemeter in an appliance to meter delivery of a liquid.
Claims11
A dishwasher comprising:
- a wash chamber;
- a water supply line in flow communication with said wash chamber, said water supply line having a first diameter;
- a valve configured to deliver water from said water supply line into said wash chamber;
- a turbine ratemeter in flow communication with said valve, said turbine ratemeter configured to meter water flow through said valve and generate a signal comprising a plurality of square wave pulses representing a quantity of water flow through said valve, each pulse of said plurality of square wave pulses representing a unit quantity of water;
- a restrictor tube in flow communication with said turbine ratemeter, said restrictor tube having a second diameter smaller than said first diameter;
- and
- a controller in signal communication with said turbine ratemeter, said controller configured to:
- open said valve;
- receive the generated signal from said turbine ratemeter;
- close said valve when a predetermined number of pulses have been received from said turbine ratemeter such that a predetermined quantity of water is supplied through said valve;
- and
- vary the quantity of water for a next use of the dishwasher based on at least one prior water usage.
9 more elements
A dishwasher comprising:
- a wash chamber;
- a water supply line in flow communication with said wash chamber, said water supply line having a first diameter;
- a valve and a turbine ratemeter positioned to deliver a metered amount of water into said wash chamber, said turbine ratemeter generating square wave pulses each representing a predetermined quantity of water;
- a restrictor tube in flow communication with said turbine ratemeter, said restrictor tube having a second diameter smaller than said first diameter;
- and
- a controller coupled to said valve and said turbine ratemeter, said controller configured to:
- deliver a first amount of water to the dishwasher for a first dishwashing cycle;
- monitor at least one operation of the dishwasher during the first dishwashing cycle to detect an underfill condition;
- add additional water to the dishwasher upon detecting at least one underfill condition during the first dishwashing cycle;
- measure a first total amount of additional water by counting a first plurality of square wave pulses generated by said turbine ratemeter during addition of the additional water for the first dishwashing cycle;
- retain the first total amount of additional water added during the first dishwashing cycle;
- and
- determine a second amount of water to deliver to the dishwasher for a cycle subsequent the at least one underfill condition based on the first amount of water and the first total amount of additional water.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.