Rotating Filter Gap Control for Dishwasher Filtration Efficiency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dishwashers face challenges in maintaining precise control over the gap between the diverter and rotatable filter due to multiple component interfaces, leading to variations in filtration efficiency and performance.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher design with a minimized number of component interfaces, where the gap between the diverter and rotatable filter is directly defined and controlled by the features of the filter and diverter, eliminating intermediate components and their tolerance-related variations, using a biasing element to maintain a fixed relative position and ensure consistent filtration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple intermediate components are used between the diverter and rotatable filter, then the system can accommodate manufacturing tolerances and assembly variations, but the gap control precision deteriorates due to tolerance stack-up
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the diverter and rotatable filter into a directly coupled configuration, eliminating intermediate components. The diverter is positioned to directly engage with the rotatable filter, creating a single interface that eliminates tolerance stack-up and ensures precise gap control between components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes intermediate components from the assembly between the diverter and rotatable filter. By extracting these unnecessary elements, the design achieves direct coupling that eliminates multiple tolerance interfaces while maintaining the functional requirements of the system.
2Productivity
If the gap between diverter and rotatable filter is tightly controlled, then filtration efficiency is improved, but the system becomes more sensitive to manufacturing tolerances and assembly variations
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the diverter and rotatable filter into a directly coupled system with minimal interfaces, the patent achieves tight gap control for high filtration efficiency while reducing the number of tolerance-critical interfaces, thereby improving performance consistency.
3Ease of operation
If intermediate components are used to define the gap, then assembly flexibility is improved, but the gap definition precision deteriorates due to multiple tolerance interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts intermediate gap-defining components from the assembly, achieving direct gap definition between the diverter and rotatable filter. This eliminates multiple tolerance interfaces that would otherwise degrade gap definition precision, while the design maintains adequate assembly flexibility.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A dishwasher 10 with a tub 14 at least partially defining a washing chamber 16, a liquid spraying system 34,38,40, a liquid recirculation system defining a recirculation flow path, and a liquid filtering system. The liquid filtering system includes a rotating filter 74 disposed in the recirculation flow path to filter the liquid.