Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to turbine pumps and more
particularly to an improved reversible turbine pump for
use in an automatic clothes washing machine~
Automatic clothes washing machines virtually
always include a drain pump which is put into operation in
order to effect draining of liquid from the machine after
washing and rinsing operations. This pump is generally
operated by the same power source, usually an electric motor,
which operates the washing system of the machine so that
the motor will, by reversing rotation, alternatively provide
a washing action in the machine or serve to drain liquid out
of the machine. An additional function which has been
provided in several commercially available washing machines
in recent years is recirculation of the wash liquid during the
washing operation, usually for filtering purposes.
Various factors, including the ability to pass
small rigid articles carried out by wash water, durability,
serviceability, and the like, have led to a general trend in
the washing machine industry to utilize turbine type pumps
for the removal of the liquid from the machine as opposed
to centrifugal type pumps. It is well known that, with a
turbine type pump, direction of flow through the pump can
be reversed simply by reversing the rotation of the pump
impeller, as opposed to centrifugal tupe pumps wherein
flow necessarily is always in a generally radially outward
direction through the pump.
Various types of turbine pumps have been utilized
in the past in particular in connection with clothes washing
machines. An example of such a turbine pump is disclosed in
U. S. Patent 3,127,840 dated April 9, 1964 issued in the name
of the present inventor and assigned to the same assignee as
the present invention. Examples of other turbine pumps are
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shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,838,002 dated June 10, 1985;
2,883,843 dated April 28, 1959; 2,961,967 dated November
29, 1960; and 3,127,839 dated April 7, 1964. All of these
turbine pumps have attempted to at least partially resolve
the inherent problem of the pump sucking air through one
of the outlet openings when the impeller is reversed. Various
check valve means have been proposed including those disclosed
in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,838,002; 2,883,843; 3,127,839 and
3,127,840. In these various arrangements, however, the
success of preventing the pump from sucking air through one
of the outlets when the liquid flow is through the other
outlet has not been entirely successful primarily because
of the increased power used by the pump.
By my invention I have improved the turbine pump
in that by my structural arrangement the pump may be operated
in either of the two directions and does not suck air through
the outlet openings of the pump. Thus the efficiency of
the pump is maintained and the noise resulting from sucking
air through the outlet openings is eliminated. These
features are highly desirable, particularly when the turbine
pump is to be used in a clothes washing machine.
There is provided a reversible turbine pump for
producing bi-directional liquid flow particularly for use in
an automatic clothes washing machine. The turbine pump
includes a housing having a substantially outer wall and
top and bottom walls closing the ends of the outer wall.
bi-directional rotatable impeller within the housing has
an annular series of blades extending outwardly and forming
with said wall of the housing a substantially toroidal
space. The turbine pump has first and second spaced outlet
openings and first and second circumferentially spaced
channels between the impeller and each of the outlet openings
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in liquid flow communication with toroidal space. There
is also provided a dam between the channels. The turbine
pump also includes an inlet opening located in each of the
channels between the impeller and the respective first and
second outlets. ~ach of the inlet openings has a flapper
check valve arranged to open and permit liquid flow through
the inlet opening in one direction of rotation of the
impeller and close to prevent the flow of liquid through the
opening in the opposite direction of rotation of the
impeller, one of said flapper check valves being open when
the other is closed during impeller rotation. The inlet
openings are dimensioned such that the flow of liquid there-
through is in a volume greater than the capacity of the
impel~er to move the liquid through the toroidal space.
There is also provided a liquid reservoir which is arranged
to supply liquid to the inlet openings in a volume at least
equal to the inlet opening liquid flow through volume. By
this turbine pump arrangement air is not intorduced into
the toroidal space from the outlet openings when the pump
is in operation.
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a clothes
washing machine including my turbine pump, the view
being partially broken away and partially in section to
illustrate details;
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the turbine pump
of this invention partially broken away;
Figure 3 is a partially sectionalized side
elevational view of the turbine pump of this invention taken
along lines 3-3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a view taken along line 4-4 of
Figure 2; and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the turbine
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pump integral flapper valve assembly.
Referring now to Figure 1, I have shown therein an
agitator type clothes washing machine 1 having a conventional
basket or clothes receiving receptacle 2 provided over its
side and bottom walls with perforations 3 and disposed
within an outer imperforate tub or casing 4. The basket
2 may be provided with a balance ring 6 to help steady the
basket when it is rotated at high speed.
Tub 4 is rigidly mounted within an appearance
cabinet 7 which includes a cover 8 hingedly mounted in the
top portion 9 of the cabinet for providing access through
an opening 10 to the basket 2. As shown, a gasket 11 may
be provided so as to form a seal between the top of tub 4
and portion 9 of the cabinet thereby to prevent escape of
moisture and moist air into the cabinet around the tub.
The rigid mounting of tub 4 within the cabinet 7 may be
effected by any suitable means. At the center of basket
2 there is positioned a vertical axis agitator 14 which
includes a center post 15 and a plurality of curved water
circulating vanes 16 joined a~ their lower ends by an out-
wardly flared skirt 17. Both the clothes basket 2 and the
agitator 14 are rotatably mollnted. The basket is mounted
on the flange 18 of a rotatable hub 19 and the agitator
14 is mounted on a shaft (not shown) which extends upwardly
through the hub 19 and through the center post 15 and is
secured to the agitator so as to drive it.
During the cycle of operation of the machine 1,
water is introduced into the tub 4 and basket 2, and the
agitator 14 is then oscillated back and forth on its axis,
that is, in a horizontal plane within the basket to wash
the clothes therein. Then after a predetermined period of
this washing action, basket 2 is rotated at high speed to
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extract centrifugally the washing liquid from the clothes
and to discharge it to drain. Following this extraction
operation, a supply of clean liquid is introduced into the
tub and basket for rinsing the clothes and the agitator
is again oscillated. Finally the basket is once more
rotated at high speed to extract the rinse water.
The basket 2 and agitator 14 are driven through
suitable means from a reversing motor 20 through a drive
including a clutch 21 mounted on the motor shaft. Clutch
21 may conventionally allow the motor to start without a
load and then accept the load as it comes up to speed. A
suitable belt 22 transmits power to a transmission assembly
23 through a pulley 24. Thus, depending upon the direction
of motor rotation, the pully 24 of transmission 23 is driven
in opposite directions.
The transmission 23 is so arranged that it supports
and drives both the agitator drive shaft and basket mounting
hub 19. When motor 20 is rotated in one direction the
transmission causes agitator 14 to oscillate in a substantially
horizontal plane within the basket 2. Conversely, when
motor 20 is driven in the opposite direction, the trans-
mission rotates the wash basket 2 and agitator 14 together
at high speed for centrifugal liquid extraction.
In addition to operating the transmission 23
as described, motor 20 also provides a direct drive
through a flexible coupling 29 to a pump structure generally
indicated at 30 which forms an importar.t part of my
inYentiOn. As will be more fully explained herebelow,
turbine pump 30 has a housing 31 with an upper surface
formed with liquid inlet openings in communication with
the bottom of tub 4. Pump 30 also has a pair of outlets
32 and 33 (Figures 2 and 3). Outlet 33 communicates
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through a conduit 34 with a suitable drain (not shown) and
outlet 32 communicates with a conduit 35 which in turn leads
to a nozzle 36. As will be explained, when motor 20
rotates in the direction to cause spinning of basket 2,
pump 30 discharges liquid from a tub 4 to outlet 33 and
thence to drain, and in the other direction of motor rotation
(in which agitation is provided) the pump discharges liquid
from tub 4 through outlet 32 and then through conduit
35 and nozzle 36.
Nozzle 36 is positioned to discharge into a filter
pan 37 secured on the top portion 38 of agitator 14 so as
to be movable therewith. With this structure then, when
the motor `s rotating so as to provide agitation, pump
30 draws liquid from tub 4 and discharges it to conduit
35 so that the liquid passes from nozzle 36 into filter pan
37 and then down through a number of small openings (not
shown) provided in the bottom of the filter pan~ and back
into basket 2. In this manner, the filter pan 37 causes
lint, which is separated from the clothes during the
washing operation, to be filtered out of the water and thus
prevents it from being redeposited on the clothes.
The motor 20, clutch 21, transmission 23,
basket 2 and agitator 14 form a suspended washing and
centrifuging system which is supported by the stationary
structure of the machine (which includes tub 4) so as to
permit isolation of vibrations from the stationary structure.
It will be understood that such vibrations occur primarily
as a result of high speed spinning of basket 2 with a load
of clothes therein as mentioned above. Any suitable suspension
structure may be used and several are well known in the
art of washing machines.
In order to accommodate the movement which occurs
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between basket 2 and tub 4 without any danger of leakage
between them, the stationary tub 4 is joined to the upper
part of transmission 23 by a boot member 47. Boot 47 may be
of any suitable configuration, many of which are known in the
art, to permit reiative motion of the parts to which it is
joined without leakage therebetween.
Completing now the description of the machine as
illustrated in Figure 1, hot and cold water may be supplied
to the machine through conduits 48 and 49 which are adapted
to be connected respectively to sources of hot and cold
water (not shown). Conduits 48 and 49 extend into a conven-
tional mixing valve structure 50 having solenoids 51 and 52,
so that energization of solenoid 51 permits passage of hot
water through the valve to hose 53, energization of solenoid
52 permits passage of cold water through the valve, and
energization of both solenoids permits mixing of hot and
cold water in the valve and passage of warm water into hose
53. Hose 53 has an outlet 54 positioned to discharge into
basket 2 so that when one or both of the solenoids 51 and 52
is energized water enters into basket 2 and tub 4.
The level to which the water rises in the basket
and tub may be controlled by any suitable means. One
typical means of doing this is to provide an opening 55
~Figures 2 and 3) in the pump between outlet openings 32
and 33, the opening 55 being connected through a conduit
56 and a tube 57 to a conventional water level pressure
sensitive device 71 which may conventionally be positioned
within the backsplasher 58 of machine 1. With such devices,
as the water rises in basket 2 and tub 4 it exerts increasing
pressure on the column of air trapped in tube 57 and at a
predetermined level the column of air then trips the
pressure sensitive device to shut off whichever or both
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of solenoids 51 and 52 may be energized.
Referring now to Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 in conjunction
with Figure 1, turbine pump 30 has a housing which is made up
of an upper member 59 and a lower member 60 provided with
mating peripheral flanges secured together with a gasket
40 therebetween by a number of threaded members 61. In effect,
the two members provide an upper wall 62 and a lower wall 63
which are joined by an annular outer wall 64 so as to form a
substantially toroidal pump chamber 65.
The previously mentioned pump outlets 32 and 33
communicate with chamber 65 through channels 99 and 100
located between the impeller 68 and the outlet openings 32
and 33 respectively. A dam 66 is positioned in toroidal
cahmber 65 between the two channels 99 and 100. The dam
66 substantially blocks the toroidal chamber 65 between
the channels leaving, however, enough room for the unimpeded
rotation of the blades 67 of an impeller 68 which has its
blades 67 extending substantially radially outwardly into
the pump toroidal chamber as shown. The positioning of the
impeller 68 may be effected in any desired manner. For
instance, the impeller may be mounted on a shaft 69 which
passes through a seal 70 (Figure 3) and then extends down-
wardly into engagement with an end plate 46 of the flexible
coupling 29 previously mentioned in connection with Figure
1. A seal 70 is provided to prevent leakage from the
chamber 65 around the impeller. The impeller blades 67
extend in planes at substantailly right angles to the plane
of rotation of the impeller 68 which is substantially
horizontal as shown in the drawing.
Located between the impeller 68 and the first and
second outlet openings 32 and 33 and in the interior sidewalls
104 and 106 of the channels 99 and 100, respectively, are
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first and second inlet openings 72 and 74, respectively.
Both of these inlet openings are elongated rectangular
shaped as best seen in Figure 3. To accommodate the rather
larye inlet openings 72 and 74 the distance between the
impeller 68 and the respective outlet openings 32 and 33 is
extended and provides for the channels 99 and 100. Each of
the inlet openings 72 and 74 have a flapper check valve
76 and 78, respectively, positioned to open and permit
liquid flow through the respective inlet openings ~ and
~ in one direction of rotation of the impeller 68 and
close to prevent the flow of liquid through the respective
inlet openings in the opposite direction of rotation of the
impeller, one of said flapper check valves being open when
the other is closed.
In the case of the preferred embodiment, with
particular reference to Figure 5, the flapper check valves
76 and 78 for the respective inlet openings 72 and 74 may
be provided by an integral formed assembly 108 carrying
both of the flapper check valves. The integral assembly
108 includes a surrounding flange 84 which is perpendicular
to each of the flapper check valves 76 and 78 when they ar
in the closed position. The flapper check valves 76 and
78 are molded with the surrounding flange 84 and have hinge
means 86 and 88 where the flapper check valve means 76 and
78 respectively join the surrounding flange 84. In this
manner the flapper check valves 76 and 78 are movable back
and forth. The rigid frame members 80 and 82 are utilized
to retain the integral assembly 108 in its proper configura-
tion and also act as a stop means to prevent movement of
the flapper check valves 76 and 78 beyond a vertical position
as best seen in Figure 4. The stop means of t~e frame
members 80 and 82 are shoulders 90 and 92 respectively.
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As can be seen in Figure 4, the flapper check valves 76
and 78 may move outwardly from their vertical position shown
in Figure 4 but are prevented from moving inwardly beyond the
vertical position as shown in Figure 4 by the shoulders 90
and 92 of the frame members 80 and 82 respectively.
To accommodate the integral flapper check valve
assembly 108 and the rigid frame members 80 and 82, the
pump housing 31 is provided with a cavity 94 dimensioned
to receive the integral flapper check valve assembly 108
and rigid frame members. When the integral flapper assembly
108 is inserted into the pump housing the flange 84 extends
outwardly of the cavity 94. It will be noted that the inte-
gral flapper check valve assembly 108 as shown in Figure
5 has a rather large cavity 96 leading from the flange 84
to the flapper check valves 76 and 78.
The turbine pump 30 is secured to the bottom
wall 98 of the tub 4 by any appropriate means and is
positioned such that the flange 84 of the integral flapper
check valve means is urged against the bottom wall 98 of
the tub so that it acts as a liquid seal between the tub
4 and pump 30. The bottom wall 98 of the tube has an opening
therethrough (not shown) so that liquid from within the
tub is in direct communication with the cavity 96 in the
integral flapper check valve assembly 108. In this manner
there is a large reservoir of liquid constantly a~railable
to the pump during its operation. In this case the reservoir
is the liquid containing tub 4.
During operation of the washing machine 1, the
pump impeller 68, as viewed in Figure 2, is turned in a clock-
wise direction during agitation operations and in a counter-
clockwise direction during centrifuging or spinning operations.
As a result of the clockwise rotation during agitation,
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liquid is drawn from the reservoir or tub 4 through the
cavity 96 in the integral flapper check valve assembly 108
and due to the liquid pressure exerted by the pump 88 flapper
check valve 78 moves or swings from its hinge outwardly
toward the side of the pump. The liguid passes through inlet
opening 74, through channel 100 toward the impeller 68 and
then is pumped around via toroidal space 65 to channel 99,
the liquid being diverted by the dam 66 into the channel 99.
During this direction of rotation of the impeller the flapper
check valve 76 is caused by the water pressure to be moved
to a vertical position and stopped by shoulder 90 of the rigid
frame member 80 to thus close inlet opening 72 and prevent
liquid from passing through the inlet opening 72.
Referring back to Figure 1, it will readily be seen
that flow out through outlet 32 is recirculated by being
passed through nozzle 36 into filter pan 37 and then back
into the tub 4. When the direction of the pump is reversed
by the motor 20 being reversed, the pump 30 draws liquid
through inlet 72 and passes it out through outlet 33. In
this direction of rotation (counterclockwise as viewed in
Figure 2) the liquid is discharged from the machine via
conduit 34.
It is an important aspect of this invention that
the inlet openings 72 and 74 be dimensioned to flow liquid
through those openings during operation of the impeller
68 in a volume greater than the capacity of the impeller
68 to move the liquid through the toroidal space to the
respective outlets 32 or 33. In this manner then liquid
will always be available to the impeller and will in effect
flood the pump chamber with liquid so that there is no
possibility of air being sucked from either of the outlet
openings 32 or 33 depending upon the direction of rotation
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of the impeller 6~. Also, it is important that there is a
liquid reservoir, which in this case is the tub 4, in direct
communication with the flapper check valves 76 and 78 and
opening 96 so that there is always a supply of liquid which
is at least equal to the volume capacity of the inlet openings
76 and 78 to allow the flow of liquid into the pump chamber 65.
By the above-described reversible turbine pump
assembly effective operation in either direction of rotation
of the pump impeller is obtained with no air sucking or
locking. The reason is that the outlet opening that would
noramlly be experiencing suction (outlet 32 during counter-
clockwise rotation and outlet 33 during clockwise rotation)
will not be caused to have air drawn through it into the
impeller chamber 65 because the impeller chamber is constantly
full of li~uid during the pump operation.
It will be understood that the flapper check
valves 76 and 78 may be made from any appropriate material
which allows them to be movable as a flapper and is suitable
in the environment for which it is intended.
The opening 55 which is in direct communication
with the cavity 96 or interior of the integral flapper
check valve assembly 108 is employed in the preferred
embodiment for supplying water pressure to the water level
pressure switch means. This is possible because the water
pressure at the outlet opening 55 represents the head of the
water pressure within the reservoir or tub 4 since it is
located between the inlet openings 72 and 74 and the tub 4.
The opening 55 does not affect the operation of the turbine
pump as heretofore described.
The foregoing is a description of the preferred
embodiment of the invention and variations may be made thereto
without departing from the true spirit of the invention, as
defined in the appended claims.
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