Mechanical Diverter Valve for Washing Machine

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application, Ser. No. 63/638,233, filed on 24 Apr. 2024. The co-pending provisional application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and is made a part hereof, including but not limited to those portions which specifically appear hereinafter.

This invention relates generally to a diverter valve for a washing machine.

Conventional washing machines may include a liquid and/or powder dispensing system incorporated into a drawer, an integrated recess, or similar inlet through which washing detergent, fabric softener, bleach, pods, and/or other washing aids may be dispensed. In lower cost washing machines, such washing aids may be dispensed directly into the washing machine tub. However, in washing machines with dispensing systems, a reliable flow of water is generally required to aid in dispersing the washing aid throughout the washing machine tub.

This reliable flow of water is often provided with one or more electrically actuated water valves. Such water valves typically divert a portion of the flow of hot and/or cold water provided to the washing machine tub through the dispensing system. The flow of water through the dispensing system is generally driven by an AC synchronous motor. These prior art arrangements may also include a flowmeter to regulate the amount of water diverted through the dispensing system.

A normal high-volume low-priced washing machine typically requires the consumer to pour detergent directly onto the load of dirty clothing. If white fabrics are being washed, the consumer may pour bleach into a passive plastic cup to introduce it into the wash tub, but not onto clothing to prevent staining. In top load clothes washing machines, liquid fabric softener is often placed into a cone-shaped recess in the top of the agitator. During the spin cycle centrifugal force is sufficient to dispense the fabric softener onto the clothing. Mechanically dispensing the laundry chemicals this way is inexpensive but may compromise the washing performance.

A staged addition of washing chemicals may be optimal for performance of the clothes washing machine. For example, it may be better to first rinse the clothing to loosen the soil before adding detergent, and it may be better to introduce detergent and bleach at different times during the wash cycle, so that the two chemicals attack the soil instead of each other. Lastly, passive dispenser cups like these have no water flushing them out. This will lead to buildup of wash chemicals, lint, and dirt, which will require the consumer to remove and clean these components.

More expensive appliances have electrically actuated water routing systems to dispense laundry chemicals. The electronic appliance control determines when to add each wash chemical during the wash cycle for optimum performance. However, the additional electronic actuators and water connections increase the complexity and cost of the appliance, which introduces additional failure modes and potential reliability issues.

In addition, higher end washing machines may have two pumps for drain and recirculation functions for improved cleaning performance. Recirculation allows water from the bottom of the wash tub to be recirculated back through the clothing and/or out to a drain. However, two pumps adds cost and complexity to the appliance, including more potential places where water can leak out of the appliance. Lower-priced higher-volume washing machines typically have a single pump for draining only, which compromises the performance.

A need therefore exists for a lower-cost, reliable solution for consumer clothes washing machines that enables staged wash chemical addition and/or wash water recirculation with a mechanical solution. Mechanical actuation, and not electrical with AC synchronous motors, solenoids, or other electrical actuators, provides an advantage. No electrical actuator is needed, and no harness is needed to connect the actuator to the appliance control system.

The subject invention preferably includes a clothes washing machine having a mechanical diverter valve in series with incoming water valves. The clothes washing machine includes one or more dispensing cups for dispensing wash chemicals into the clothes washing machine. The appliance control of the clothes washing machine duty cycles the two water valves to add the quantity of water at the desired temperature into the wash cavity. A mechanical diverter valve is preferably connected to the water inlet. The diverter valve may include one water inlet and two or more water outlets-one for each wash chemical to be dispensed. Turning the water supply on or off mechanically indexes the diverter valve to the next position, so water flows through the appropriate outlet to flush the wash chemical into the wash cavity.

A second embodiment of the invention for a clothes washing machine that includes a mechanical diverter valve in series with the drain pump. The diverter valve includes one inlet, which receives water from the drain pump and two outlets. One outlet would recirculate water from the bottom of the tub, which has water with the highest concentration of detergent or bleach, repeatedly applying it onto the clothing to improve the cleaning performance. The second outlet would be for draining water from the appliance at the end of the cycle.

The subject invention preferably improves washing performance and soil removal and eliminates the need for the consumer to remove and clean passive dispenser cups. In addition, an electrical actuator is eliminated from an otherwise electrically actuated diverter valve. This eliminates the interface between electrical prime mover and diverter valve, which are potential water leakage points. Water leakage can cause damage to the consumer's home.

The subject invention also eliminates the harness connection from the electrical actuator to the appliance control thereby simplifying the appliance control due to fewer electrical connections. The removal of excess electrical connections also eliminates possible failure points, to improve the appliance reliability.

The system described herein reduces appliance cost and reduces energy consumption through non-electrical actuation.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended claims and drawings.

show schematics of clothes washing machines for use with a diverter valve as described herein. The clothes washing machine may comprise a front load machine as represented schematically inor a top load machine as represented schematically in.

A clothes washing machineaccording to the subject invention includes a housingwith a wash cavity. As described above, the wash cavity may be horizontally aligned in the case of a front load machine or vertically aligned in the case of a top load machine. The wash cavitymay also be referred to as the wash drum.

A water inletis provided to the wash cavity. The water inlet may be a hot and/or a cold water supply and may be the same or separate from a main water supply to the clothes washing machine.

Two or more water outletsare provided from the water inlet. Each water outletis preferably connected with respect to a dispenser cupfor dispensing a respective wash chemical. Wash chemicals may include detergent, fabric softener, bleach, pods, and/or other suitable chemicals for effecting desired washing results. As such, the one or more dispenser cupsin the clothes washing machinemay comprise a detergent cup, a fabric softener cup, a bleach cup, a pod cup, and/or a combination of one or more of such cups.

A mechanical diverter valveis positioned in series with the water inletand is configured to index between the two the two or more water outletsto flush the respective wash chemical into the wash cavity. The mechanical diverter valveis configured to index when a water supply is turned on or off.

As such, the diverter valveis mechanically-actuated and used to route incoming water to different ports of a washing machine dispenser system. This improves wash performance by introducing different wash chemicals into the wash cavity at different times.

The clothes washing machinemay further include a drain pumpconnected with respect to the water inlet. The drain pumpmay be configured to pump water from the cavityto a drain and/or back to the cavity, as described in more detail below.

show two embodiments of the diverter valve. The diverter valvemay include a rocker arm valve with a spring-loaded ball, such as shown in. The diverter valve may alternatively comprise a ball valve such as shown in.

As described, the diverter valvecould be in the form of a rocker arm, weighted ball, rotating disc, or another bistable mechanism. In a rocker arm arrangement, a diverter valve body includes a rocker arm and spring-loaded ball inside. When water pressure is turned on, the spring-loaded ball pushes the rocker arm to the next position, and water flows out of the exposed outlet. When the water is pressure is turned off, the spring retracts the ball so that it is ready to engage the opposite side of the rocker arm for the next time the water is turned on.

In a weighted ball arrangement, the diverter valveincludes a body with a weighted ball and spiral valve body with two outlet ports. When water pressure is turned on, the ball would close off one of the outlet ports, allowing water to only flow out the other side. When water pressure is turned off, the ball will fall back down to the bottom of the valve, but the spiral shape of the valve body is configured with features to direct the ball to fall onto the opposite side it was previously on. Turning the water pressure on again will cause the ball to close off the opposite side of the valve body.

The diverter valve may alternatively comprise a rotating disc arrangement wherein a valve body may include a rotating disc and housing with multiple output ports actuated by water pressure from a drain pump. The water pressure thereby indexes the diverter disc to a next position around the output ports following the drain pumpturning on and/or off. Other possible configurations include a flapper door with bistable spring or flapper door with cardioid track click-click mechanism.

According to one embodiment, the two or more water outletsmay comprise different diameters. In this manner, a single flowmeter may be positioned upstream of the water inlet to measure flow rates through each respective water outlet. As such, the flowmeter may be used to determine which side of the diverter valveis open.

According to one embodiment, shown schematically in, the mechanically-actuated diverter valvemay be used to provide drain and recirculation modes to a single drain pump, to avoid the cost of two separate pumps. This would improve the washing performance of a top-load washer, by taking the water at the bottom of the cavityunder the basket of clothing, which has the highest concentration of detergent, and pump it repeatedly onto the clothing. Specifically, in such arrangement, the water inletmay receive water from the drain pumpand direct the water to two or more water outletsextending from the water inlet. A mechanical diverter valveis positioned in series with the drain pumpand positioned between the water inletand the two or more water outlets. One outlet of the two or more water outletspreferably recirculates water from a bottom of the wash cavityand one outlet of the two or more water outletsdrains water from the wash cavityat the end of the cycle and/or between cycles.

The invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element, part, step, component, or ingredient which is not specifically disclosed herein.

While in the foregoing detailed description this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purposes of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.