General Electric Company

Roger L Hoffman

Gregory Owen Miller

Vivek Venugopal Badami

David Anthony Schneider

Mark Edward Dausch

Joseph Duane Tobbe

Dwight William Jacobus

Jeffrey Alan Kern

A system and method for adjusting the operating cycle of a cleaning appliance. In the present invention, a controller having a decision system receives turbidity and temperature measurements from a turbidity sensor and a temperature sensor and uses these measurements to adjust the operating cycle of the machine to the level of soil of the articles to be washed, the rate of soil removal, and the temperature of the water used for washing. In its preferred form the decision system is a fuzzy system that includes a fuzzy rule base fired as input values from the liquid temperature and liquid turbidity sensors are received. The decision system matches the rules in the fuzzy rule base to the input values and outputs a confidence value, which is used by the decision system to adjust the operating cycle.

System and method for adjusting the operating cycle of a cleaning

An automatic domestic dish washing machine has a chamber for the items to be washed and a pump to pressurize the washing fluid. A spray arm includes elongated top and bottom walls encompassing an elongated passageway to receive the pressurized fluid. A spray device has an elongated body with a passageway and an exit opening at each end of the passageway. A hollow support shaft extends perpendicular to the body and includes a passageway communicating with the body passageway. The shaft is mounted in the spray arm with lateral openings in the shaft communicating with the passageway in the arm so that fluid flows through the arm, shaft and body and sprays out through the exit openings. The lower portion of the shaft is cylindrical and extends through an opening in the bottom wall of the arm. A bearing mounted to the arm includes a longitudinal opening surrounding the lower portion of the shaft and spaced from it to define an annulus with a width just greater than the size of hard waste particles likely to be entrained in the wash fluid. A thrust washer is attached to the shaft below the bearing. When pressurized fluid flows through the spray device the shaft lifts and the washer engages the bearing and centers the shaft in the longitudinal opening. When pressurized fluid is not flowing, the shaft lowers and the thrust washer is spaced below the bearing a distance greater than the width of the annulus between the bearing and the shaft.

Dish washing machine with improved wash mechanism

A dishwashing machine includes a wash chamber and spray distribution mechanism to spray fluid over articles in the chamber. A recirculation sump at the bottom of the chamber receives fluid from the chamber and a first pump, driven by a relatively large motor, draws fluid from the sump and discharges it to the spray mechanism. A filter is positioned to remove soil particles from the recirculated fluid and a collection chamber collects filtered soil particles. The collection chamber is connected to a drain through a first one way valve. A drain pump, driven by a relatively small motor, is connected between the lower portion of the recirculation sump and the collection chamber. Another one way valve permits flow from the recirculation sump to the collection chamber while preventing reverse flow. Operation of the drain pump substantially completely evacuates fluid from the wash chamber and the sump through the collection chamber to the drain and concurrently discharges soil particles from the collection chamber to the drain.

Dishwasher with dual pumps

A reversible turbine pump includes a pair of end walls and a side wall defining an annular pumping chamber. A turbine impeller mounted for reversible rotation in the chamber includes a rigid input shaft. One end of the shaft extends through one end wall and is sealed from the chamber. A spring biases the other end of the shaft toward the other end wall. Cooperating thrust bearing members, mounted to the other end of the shaft and the other end wall, provide a large planar area of low friction engagement therebetween. The pumping chamber has a pair of inlets, a pair of outlets and a dam. The first inlet and second outlet are on one side of the dam while the second inlet and first outlet are on the other side of the dam so that reverse rotation of the impeller pumps fluid in opposite directions through a different set of inlet and outlet. Valves associated with the inlets and outlets permit fluid flow in the desired direction and prevent fluid flow in the opposite direction.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Roger L Hoffman