Description

The present invention relates to a domestic home appliance, especially a dishwasher, which is a household electrical appliance used mostly in houses and restaurants. The dishwasher is able to wash the dishes automatically based on a proper schedule and by spraying hot water mixed with strong detergents on the dishes. There is at least one basket disposed into the dishwasher to hole the dishes. Mostly, the dishwashers have 3 baskets. Generally, the heights of the baskets at the bottom and the top are fixed and the water transmission for the fixed baskets is carried out by fixed guide tubes and conduits.

The height of the basket in the middle section, can be adjusted on the vertical axis according to the user's preference and the type of dishes. In order to adjust the height of the middle basket, connections are needed that allow the movement of the guide tube connected to the spray arm of the middle basket. Linear motion is required in the connection region in question. During the said linear movement, having water impermeability in the relevant region directly affects the washing performance.

Prior Art:

In EP3047785B1, a connection unit that provides the water supply connection to the intermediate basket is presented. A spray arm tube with a funnel opening and a flexible pipe that can be placed in the funnel opening are associated. In the above-mentioned connection, sealing is provided by the design, and due to the conical shape of the housing in which the funnel opening is inserted, the flexible pipe can be bent in the appropriate form to provide sealing.

In EP2187799B1, a connection mechanism with more than one sequential opening for the water supplying line is mentioned. During the relevant connection, there is a corresponding opening in the guide tube connection. In each stage, the openings are closed sequentially with a counter and the water flow is made from a single place. The openings are blocked and a sealing element can be used to seal the water.

The aim of the invention is to present an alternative construction for a variable-height connection of a guide tube for the variable height basket in a dishwasher.

In this invention a connection component structure is revealed that allows the conduit to move on one axis (mostly vertical axis) to connect to the guide tube by resolving the sealing issue. Moreover, the presented connection component structure has a longer service life and sealing time than its alternatives.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a dynamic linear movement for the guide tube to by sliding motion to prevent water leakage from the moving parts. Furthermore, the small amount water leakage in the connection area may be prevented by improving the design, apart from the sealing elements.

The invention is especially related to a conduit system including components that can move in a sealed way in the connection area during the vertical movement of the basket, in order to provide water to a nozzle/spray arm that is connected to the height adjustable basket.

Brief Description of The Invention

The invention is about a conduit system that includes at least one guide tube connection element in order to provide water transmission to the baskets that can move on the vertical axis, especially in the dishwashers. The conduit system has a body comprises of two basic parts, a channel front part and a channel rear part which preferably, are welded or adhered to each other.

At least one water inlet is embedded under the channel front part and channel rear part through which water comes to the conduit system. The conduit system coneys water to a guide tube. The guide tube is fixed to a guide tube support in one end. The guide tube support may be placed between a cover and a base which is located on the channel front part and may be integrated with the conduit body. A middle opening, which is embedded on the base, provides water passage to the guide tube. Moreover, the base may include of a connection edge and a base slot. The guide tube support may be placed between a cover and the base. The guide tube support is supported on both sides by the base slot so it is movable in the vertical axis in the region. The cover has an embedded opening from which the guide tube protrudes.

The conduit system is configured to have a sealing element located between the edge part of the middle opening and the guide tube support. The connection of the cover and the connection edge may be in a leak-proof manner and the two parts can be adhered together, welded, snap fitted or by any other connection means such as a pin or screw.

The sealing element contains a seal channel, on which a sealing protrusion is located. The sealing protrusion may be in contact with the guide tube support. The seal channel is faced to the middle opening section. Therefore, the water coming from this section exerts pressure on the seal channel, and the sealing protrusion thus exerts more pressure towards the guide tube support and the sealing is increased.

The sealing element may be manufactured by injection in the same mold as the channel front part and may be preferably made of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) material which have good resistance to extreme temperatures and harsh environments.

The scope of protection of the invention is stated in the claims and it cannot be limited to what is explained in this short and detailed explanation for exemplary purposes. It is clear that a person skilled in art can come up with similar embodiments in the light of what has been described above without departing from the main theme of the invention.

Brief Description of The Drawings

Figure 1 : a perspective view of the conduit system.

Figure 2: a side view of the inventive conduit system.

Figure 3 : an exploded view of the conduit system.

Figure 4: an upper section view from the junction point region. Figure 5 : a rear view of the channel front part.

Figure 6: a cross-sectional view of the sealing element.

Figure 7 : a perspective view of the basket and the conduit.

Reference Numbers in The Drawings

1. Conduit body

2. Spray arm

3. Basket

10. Channel front part

11. Base

110. Middle opening

111. Outer protrusion

112. Inner sealing protrusion

12. Base slot

13. Connection edge

14. Second water outlet

15. Water inlet connector

16. Outlet wall

17. First water outlet

20. Channel rear part

21. First Middle channel

22. Interconnection support 23. Rear transfer channel

24. Edge support

25. Second middle channel

30. Cover

31. Embedded opening

40. Guide tube

41. Guide tube support

411. Elongated sealing protrusion

50. Sealing element

51. Sealing protrusion

510. Seal channel

52. Contact recess

53. Rear contact recess

530. Rear contact tab

54. Sealing element base

55. Connection nose

Detailed Description of The Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will be further described using the drawings. It should be considered that the embodiment is only used to illustrate the present invention and does not limit the scope of the invention. In addition, various changes or modifications to the invention can be made by a skilled person in art and the scope defined in the application includes these equivalents. Mostly, the dishwashers have 3 baskets and water transmits through conduits to the spray arms (2) which are spray water onto the baskets as shown in figure 7. Generally, the heights of the baskets at the bottom and the top are fixed and the water transmission for the fixed baskets is carried out by fixed guide tubes and fixed conduits. The height of the basket (3) in the middle section can be adjusted on the vertical axis. In order to adjust the height of the middle basket (3), water proof connections are needed that allow the movement of a related guide tube (40) without leakage.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the perspective view of a conduit system (100), which is the subject of the invention and is preferably located in a vertical position, is given in figure 1, and the side view is shown in figure 2. The conduit system (100) includes a body (1) which may have two basic parts, a channel front part (10) and a channel rear part (20). Preferably, the channel rear part (20) is welded or adhered to channel front part (10) or other connection methods such as a snap-fit connection, pin or screw may be utilized. The channel front prat (10) is shown in more detail in figure 5.

At least one water inlet connector (15) may be located under the conduit body (1). Moreover, the channel front part (10) may have a first water outlet (17) to lead the water to the guide tube (40) and a second water outlet (14) may be embedded within the conduit body (1) to lead the water to the spray arms connected to the upper baskets.

As shown in figures 1 and 2, the guide tube (40) may be fixed to a guide tube support (41) in one end. There are two openings in the guide tube (40) that allows water to pass through. The guide tube support (41) may be placed between a cover (30) and a base (11) and may move on the channel front part (10). The base (11) may be placed on the channel front part (10). More precisely, the cover (30) keeps the guide tube support (41) on the base (11) and the guide tube support (41) may be slidably connected to the base (11).

Moreover, the base (11) includes of a middle opening (110) that with the first water outlet (17) provides a water passage to the guide tube (40).

Considering figures 3 and 4, the base slot (12) is formed by an inner protrusion (112) and an outer protrusion (111) which let the guide tube support (41) slidably move on the base (11). The inner protrusion (112) may be in contact with the sealing element (50). The cover (30) may be connected to the channel front part (10) through the connection edge (13) in a leak-proof manner by a connection method such as, but not limited to, adhesive boding, welding, snap-fit or utilizing pin or screw. Moreover, water leakage from the edges may be prevented by the base slot (12). In particular, in case of openings that may occur in the welding areas over time, the base slot (12) directly prevents or reduces the flow of water to the outside of the conduit system (100).

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the length of the middle opening (110) is smaller than the length of the guide tube support (41), and the length of the base (11) is larger than the length of the guide tube support (41).

The cover (30) contains an embedded opening (31) from which the guide tube (40) protrudes. The width of the embedded opening (31) is wider than the thickness of the guide tube (40).

The conduit body (1) may include at least one rear transfer channel (23) which transmits the water to the first water outlet (17) , a first middle channel (21) to transmit the water from the water inlet connector (15) to the rear transfer channel (23) , a second middle channel (25) to transfer the water from the water inlet connector (15) to the second water outlet (14), and at least one interconnection support (22) to connect the channel front part (10) to channel rear part (20) by a connection method such as, but not limited to, adhesive boding, , welding, snap-fit or utilizing pin or screw. The rear transfer channel (23) may be limited by an edge support (24). The shape of the rear transfer channel (23) corresponds to the first water outlet (17) and the middle opening (110). The rear transfer channel (23) is the continuation of the middle opening (110) on the channel front part (10).

According to figures 3 and 5, a sealing element (50) is positioned between the edge of the middle opening (110) and the guide tube support (41). As shown in figure 4, an outlet wall (16) which is a part of the channel front part (10) forms walls of the first water outlet (17) and may have a protrusion to hold the sealing element (50).

In the preferred embodiment, the sealing element (50) is integrated with the channel front part (10) at the borders of the middle opening (110) and may be manufactured by injection in the same mold as the conduit body (1). In this way, the sealing element (50) is prevented from coming off so a better sealing is achieved. Moreover, the sealing element (50) may by preferably made of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) material to have good resistance to extreme temperatures and harsh environments.

As shown in figure 4, the guide tube support (41) may have an elongated sealing protrusion (411) parallel to the inner protrusion (112) to prevent the water leaks between the sealing element (50) and the guide tube support (41) and to let the guide tube support (41) to slide in the base slot (12).

Considering figures 4 and 6, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing element (50), may include a sealing protrusion (51) which is in contact with the guide tube support (41) to provide sealing in this region. Moreover, the sealing element (50) includes a seal channel (510) in the continuation of the sealing protrusion (51), which is faced to the middle opening (110) section. Therefore, the water coming from the middle opening (110) exerts pressure on the seal channel (510), and the sealing protrusion (51) exerts pressure towards the guide tube support (41), so the sealing is increased. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sealing element (50) may have a sealing element base (54) that the channel rear part (20) is in contact with the sealing element (50) through the sealing element base (54).

The sealing element (50) may further include a contact recess (52) in the continuation of the sealing protrusion (51), that contacts the channel front part (10) to support the sealing element (50). In the preferred embodiment, the sealing element (50) may also include at least one connection nose (55) in the continuation of the contact recess (52) by which the strength has been increased in the relevant region, and the monolithic production of the sealing element (50) with the channel front part (10) in the mold is improved.

The sealing element (50) may further include a rear contact tab (530) and a rear contact recess (53) in the continuation of the rear contact tab (530). The rear contact recess (53) may be in contact with the outlet wall (16) at the edge of the middle opening (110) to support the sealing element (50). Similarly, in the relevant region, the rear contact tab (530) of the sealing element (50) in the continuation of the seal channel (510), provides support and increases the bonding strength.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, to increase sealing, the channel rear part (20) may directly contact with the sealing element (50), at the sealing element base (54). Moreover, the sealing element (50) may be manufactured by injection in the same mold as the channel front part (10) and is preferably made of TPV material.

With appropriate modifications of the presented invention, the movement of the guide tube

(40) may be done in different directions and the conduit system presented here can be utilized for a water-proof movable guide tube in both horizontal and vertical directions. In the embodiment presented in the disclosure, the movement in the vertical direction has been presented.

The conduit system (100) transfers the water to the spray arm and includes the water inlet connection (15); the guide tube (40) to provide water for the spray arm; the body (1) to transmit water from the water inlet connection (15) to the guide tube (40) including the first water outlet (17) to lead the water to the guide tube (40); the guide tube support (41) connected to the guide tube (40) that leads the water to pass from the first water outlet (17) to the guide tube (40); the sealing element (50) that is positioned between the first water outlet (17) and the guide tube support

(41) to seal the water path whereby, a water leakage is prevented in the conduit system (100).

Moreover, the conduit system (100) may have the base (11) connected to the body (1) that includes the connection edge (13) which allows the cover (30) to connect to the channel front part (10); the base slot (12) which is formed by the inner protrusion (112) and the outer protrusion (111) to let the guide tube support (41) slidably move on the base (11); the middle opening (110) embedded on the base (11) to guide the water from the first water outlet (17) to the guide tube (40) through the guide tube support (41); wherein the base (11) allows the guide tube support (41) to slidably move on the body (1).

Furthermore, the conduit system (100) may have the cover (30) to keep the guide tube support (41) on the base (11). The cover (30) includes an embedded opening (31) from which the guide tube (40) protrudes.

The body (1) may have the channel front part (10) on which the base (11) is placed and the channel rear part (20) which is connected to the channel front part (10). The channel rear part (20) is welded or adhered to the channel front part (10). The channel front part (10) includes the outlet wall (16) which forms the walls of the first water inlet (17) and may have a protrusion to hold the sealing element (50). The guide tube support (41) is slidably connected to the base (11). The body (1) may have the second water outlet (14) to transfer the water to the upper basket.

The conduit system (100) includes the rear transfer channel (23) which transmits the water to the first water outlet (17) the first middle channel (21) which is embedded between the channel front part (10) and channel rear part (20) to transmit water to the rear transfer channel (23), wherein the rear transfer channel (23) may have a shape corresponds to the first water outlet (17).

The guide tube support (41) includes the elongated sealing protrusion (411) parallel to the inner protrusion (112) to prevent the water leaks between the sealing element (50) and the guide tube support (41) and to let the guide tube support (41) to slide in the base slot (12).

The sealing element (50) comprises the sealing protrusion (51) which is in contact with the guide tube support (41) to provide sealing in this region; the seal channel (510) in the continuation of the sealing protrusion (51) which is faced to the middle opening (110); the sealing element base (530) which is contact with the outlet wall (16); whereby the water coming from the middle opening (110) exerts pressure on the seal channel (510), so the sealing protrusion (51) exerts pressure towards the guide tube support (41), and the sealing element base (530) exerts pressure towards the outlet wall (16), so the sealing is increased. The sealing element (50) may have the contact recess (52) in the continuation of the sealing protrusion (51) that is in contact with the channel front part (10) to support the sealing element (50); the rear contact recess (53) in the continuation of the rear contact tab (530) which is in contact with the outlet wall (16) to support the sealing element (50).

The sealing element (50) may be manufactured by injection in the same mold as the channel front part (10). The sealing element (50) may be made of thermoplastic vulcanizates material.

The length of the middle opening (110) is smaller than the guide tube support (41). The length of the base (11) is larger than the guide tube support (41). The width of the opening (31) is wider than the thickness of the guide tube connection (40). The channel front part (10) and the channel rear part (20) are connected through welding or snap-fit connection. The cover (30) is connected to the channel front part (10) through welding or snap-fit connection.

The sealing element (50) may have a sealing element base (54) that the channel rear part (20) is in contact with the sealing element (50) through the sealing element base (54).