IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,820,782
Granted Patent B2
US 10,820,782 · App. 15/690,386 · Granted Nov 3, 2020

Heating assembly for a washing appliance

Inventors: Adam Christopher Hofmann (Louisville, KY); Ramasamy Thiyagarajan (Louisville, KY)
Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
A47L15/483A47L15/23A47L15/4225A47L15/4259A47L15/486A47L15/488A47L15/507
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,820,782
App. No.
15/690,386
Granted
Nov 3, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A drying system includes a tub defining a wet chamber, a water storage chamber, an inlet defined in the tub and providing fluid communication into the wet chamber and a heat pipe heat exchanger. The heat pipe heat exchanger includes a condenser section and an evaporator section. The condenser section is in operative communication with the inlet upstream of the wet chamber and the evaporator section is in operative communication with the water storage chamber.

Claims (29)

1. A dishwashing appliance, comprising:

a tub defining a wash chamber;

a water storage chamber;

an inlet defined in the tub and providing fluid communication into the wash chamber;

a fan configured to urge air through the inlet; and

a heat pipe heat exchanger comprising a sealed casing containing a working fluid therein, a condenser section defined by a first end of the sealed casing and an evaporator section defined by a second end of the sealed casing opposite the first end, the sealed casing extending continuously from the first end to the second end, the condenser section positioned upstream of the inlet and in convective thermal communication with the wash chamber through the inlet, the evaporator section in direct thermal communication with the water storage chamber.

2. The dishwashing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the water storage chamber comprises a sump positioned at a bottom of the wash chamber for receiving fluid from the wash chamber.

3. The dishwashing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the fan is configured to urge air from an ambient environment external to the dishwashing appliance through the inlet.

4. The dishwashing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the fan is configured to urge air from a heating conduit through the inlet.

5. The dishwashing appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a heating conduit extending between the water storage chamber and the inlet.

6. The dishwashing appliance of claim 5 , wherein the heating conduit comprises an upstream end and a downstream end spaced apart from the upstream end, the condenser section of the heat pipe heat exchanger positioned at the upstream end of the heating conduit and the downstream end of the heating conduit positioned at the inlet.

7. The dishwashing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the condenser section of the heat pipe heat exchanger is positioned proximate to the inlet.

8. The dishwashing appliance of claim 7 , wherein the condenser section and the evaporator section are disposed at an angle defined between a centerline of the condenser section and a centerline of the evaporator section, the angle greater than ninety degrees.

9. The dishwashing appliance of claim 7 , wherein the heat pipe heat exchanger comprises a bend between the condenser section and the evaporator section.

10. The dishwashing appliance of claim 9 , wherein the bend defines an arcuate shape comprising an arc that extends from a first endpoint in the condenser section to a second end point in the evaporator section.

11. The dishwashing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the dishwashing appliance defines a vertical direction, the condenser section of the heat pipe heat exchanger positioned above the evaporator section of the heat pipe heat exchanger along the vertical direction such that condensed working fluid flows from the condenser section to the evaporator section by gravity.

12. The dishwashing appliance of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe heat exchanger is the only heat source in the dishwashing appliance for air entering the wash chamber through the inlet.

13. A drying system comprising:

a tub defining a wet chamber;

a water storage chamber;

an inlet defined in the tub and providing fluid communication into the wet chamber; and

a heat pipe heat exchanger comprising a sealed casing containing a working fluid therein, a condenser section defined by a first end of the sealed casing and an evaporator section defined by a second end of the sealed casing opposite the first end, the sealed casing extending continuously from the first end to the second end, the condenser section positioned upstream of the inlet and in convective thermal communication with the wet chamber through the inlet, the evaporator section in direct thermal communication with the water storage chamber;

wherein the heat pipe heat exchanger is the only heat source in the drying system for air entering the wet chamber through the inlet.

14. The drying system of claim 13 , wherein the wet chamber is a wash chamber of a dishwasher appliance and the water storage chamber comprises a sump positioned at a bottom of the wash chamber for receiving fluid from the wash chamber.

15. The drying system of claim 13 , wherein the condenser section and the evaporator section are disposed at an angle defined between a centerline of the condenser section and a centerline of the evaporator section, the angle greater than ninety degrees.

16. The drying system of claim 13 , further comprising a fan configured to urge air from an ambient environment external to the dishwashing appliance through the inlet.

17. The drying system of claim 13 , further comprising a heating conduit extending between the water storage chamber and the inlet.

18. The drying system of claim 17 , further comprising a fan configured to urge air from the heating conduit through the inlet.

19. The drying system of claim 13 , wherein the condenser section of the heat pipe heat exchanger is positioned proximate to the inlet.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 30, 2017
From: HOFMANN, ADAM CHRISTOPHER; THIYAGARAJAN, RAMASAMY
To: HAIER US APPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Reel/Frame 043444/0978 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190059695A1 · Feb 28, 2019
Cited By (1)
US 12,188,170