Liquid heating pump for conveying and heating liquid in a household appliance which uses water

Abstract

A liquid heating pump includes an impeller chamber having an impeller, which can be rotatably driven, and a diffuser and/or pressure chamber arranged axially downstream in the flow direction and having a stationary diffuser. A heating device is associated with the diffuser and/or pressure chamber. The diffuser has a main body, in particular in the shape of a circular cylinder, having an axial outer casing, the diameter of which is selected to be at least equal to 80%, in particular between 80% and 90%, preferably approximately equal to 86%, of the external diameter of the diffuser and/or pressure chamber.

1 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A liquid heating pump for conveying and heating liquid in a household appliance which uses water, in particular a household dishwasher heating pump or washing machine heating pump, said liquid heating pump comprising:
 a housing having a centrally arranged suction channel for suctioning the liquid in an axial suction direction, an impeller chamber arranged axially downstream of the suction channel and receiving suctioned liquid, and a diffusor and/or pressure chamber which is arranged axially downstream of the impeller chamber, viewed counter to the suction direction, and which is arranged externally at least around a partial portion of the suction channel;   an impeller rotatably mounted in the impeller chamber for conveying the liquid into the diffusor chamber;   a stationary diffusor in the diffusor and/or pressure chamber, said diffusor comprising a main body, in particular in the shape of a circular cylinder, having an axial outer casing defined by an diameter which is selected to be at least equal to 80%, in particular between 80% and 90%, preferably approximately equal to 86%, of an external diameter of the diffusor and/or pressure chamber;   a heating device operably connected to the diffusor and/or pressure chamber for heating the liquid, said heating device comprising at least one, in particular axially extending, partial portion of an external defining wall of the diffusor and/or pressure chamber, with the axial outer casing of the main body of the diffusor forming at least one, in particular axially extending, partial portion of an internal defining wall of the diffusor and/or pressure chamber; and   a discharge port for ejecting the liquid.   
     
     
         30 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 29 , wherein the impeller has an external diameter which is selected to be between 40% and 80%, in particular between 60% and 70%, of the diameter of the axial outer casing, in particular, of the main body of the diffusor. 
     
     
         31 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 29 , wherein the heating device, in particular on the partial portion formed thereby or an entire portion formed thereby of the external defining wall of the diffusor and/or pressure chamber, provides an electrical surface heating load of between 30 W/cm 2  and 50 W/cm 2 , said diffusor and/or pressure chamber having a cross section in a shape of an annular gap to define a cross-sectional passage surface for heat dissipation of the electrical surface heating load, said cross-sectional passage surface being selected to be between 8 cm 2  and 20 cm 2 , in particular between 10 cm 2  and 12 cm 2 . 
     
     
         32 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 29 , wherein the main body of the diffusor has a front wall in facing relation to the impeller chamber and includes on the front wall at least one guide blade portion which axially protrudes in a direction of the impeller into a liquid ejection region of the impeller arranged around an outer periphery of the impeller, said guide blade portion extending away from the liquid ejection region, in particular positioned obliquely deviating from a radial direction in an impeller direction, toward the axial outer casing of the main body, in particular as far as the axial outer casing of the main body, which is arranged further radially outwardly than the liquid ejection region of the impeller. 
     
     
         33 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the guide blade portion is provided, in particular integrally formed, on the front wall of the main body of the diffusor, such that the guide blade portion assumes an oblique position relative to the radial direction of the impeller in a rotational direction thereof, when viewed from a radially inwardly located initial portion to a radially outwardly located end of the guide blade portion. 
     
     
         34 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the guide blade portion has a direction of curvature in a rotational direction of the impeller on the front wall of the main body of the diffusor. 
     
     
         35 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the guide blade portion extends in the form of an outwardly opening arcuate portion, in particular a spiral portion. 
     
     
         36 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 33 , wherein the axially protruding guide blade portion extends outwardly with the radially inwardly located initial portion substantially tangentially away from an internal peripheral point on a circle of the liquid ejection region of the impeller, said radially outwardly located end portion opening substantially tangentially on an outer peripheral point on an outer peripheral circle of the axial outer casing of the main body which outer peripheral point is different from the internal peripheral point. 
     
     
         37 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the main body includes three of said guide blade portion which are provided, in particular integrally formed, on the front wall of the main body of the diffusor facing the impeller chamber, such as to extend, when viewed from their radially inwardly located initial portion to their radially outwardly located end, in a peripheral direction over an angular range of between 45° and 90°, respectively, and thereby respectively cover in a plane spanned by the front wall of the main body a radial distance, which is located between the liquid ejection region of the impeller and the axial outer casing of the base body. 
     
     
         38 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 37 , wherein the radial distance is between 5 mm and 10 mm. 
     
     
         39 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the main body includes a plurality of said axially protruding guide blade portion arranged in offset relation by approximately a same centering angle, such as to establish between two adjacent ones of the axially protruding guide blade portions, viewed in a peripheral direction, a liquid guide channel leading outwardly to the axial outer casing of the main body. 
     
     
         40 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 29 , wherein the front wall of the main body of the diffusor has a radial outer edge zone which is configured to transition into an axial longitudinal extent of the axial outer casing of the main body in the form of a rounded portion. 
     
     
         41 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the axially protruding guide blade portion has at least an initial portion, in particular along an entire extent thereof, to cover from outside the liquid ejection region of the impeller on the outer periphery, substantially across an axial width thereof with a remaining radial gap. 
     
     
         42 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 41 , wherein the remaining radial gap is selected in a region of the initial portion to be between 0.5 mm and 2 mm. 
     
     
         43 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the impeller includes a blade which has an oblique position relative to a radial direction of the impeller counter to a rotational direction of the impeller, in particular a direction of curvature counter to the rotational direction of the impeller. 
     
     
         44 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 43 , wherein an acute intermediate angle of at most 50°, in particular between 30° and 45°, preferably of approximately 41° is enclosed between an imaginary, in particular tangential, extension of a radial outer end portion of the blade of the impeller and an imaginary, in particular tangential, extension of the initial portion of the guide blade portion protruding from the front wall of the main body facing the impeller chamber in an axial direction. 
     
     
         45 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 43 , wherein the guide blade portion has a radially inwardly located initial portion which has a contour which is different from a contour of an end of the blade of the impeller on an outlet side. 
     
     
         46 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 32 , wherein the axial outer casing of the main body of the diffusor includes at least one radially protruding guide blade portion, in particular three of said radially protruding guide blade portion. 
     
     
         47 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 46 , wherein the radially protruding guide blade portion extends in the form of a helical portion outwardly on the cylindrical main body, in particular circular cylindrical main body. 
     
     
         48 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 46 , wherein, when viewing in the direction of a front wall of the main body facing the impeller chamber, the radially protruding guide blade portion extends on the axial outer casing of the main body of the diffusor at least in an outer peripheral region of the main body which is located between a radially outwardly arranged end of a first one of the axially protruding guide blade portions and a radially inwardly arranged initial portion of a second one of the axially protruding guide blade portions arranged downstream, when viewed in a rotational direction of the impeller. 
     
     
         49 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 46 , further comprising an outlet, in particular for an end portion without guide blades of the axial outer casing, between a downstream end of a first one the guide blade portions radially protruding on the axial outer casing side, and an upstream end of a second downstream one of the guide blade portions radially protruding on the axial outer casing side, viewed in a rotational direction of the impeller, wherein in an installed position of the diffusor the outlet is arranged in an upper region of the main body, in particular approximately in the 12 o'clock position thereof. 
     
     
         50 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 46 , wherein the axially protruding guide blade portion is substantially connected, in particular substantially continuously connected, via a connecting portion, in particular integrally formed thereon, to a downstream one of the radially protruding guide blade portions assigned thereto on the axial outer casing side, viewed in a rotational direction of the impeller, to form a combined guide blade. 
     
     
         51 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 50 , wherein the connecting portion extends along an outer peripheral portion of the front wall of the main body facing the impeller chamber. 
     
     
         52 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 50 , wherein the connecting portion comprises an axially protruding, in particular circular arc portion-like projecting portion, and a projecting portion protruding radially, in particular in a helical manner, on an axial front face of the axially protruding projection. 
     
     
         53 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 52 , wherein the axially protruding projecting portion has an axial extent which reduces, in particular continuously, from an initial portion connected to the axially protruding guide blade portion as far as its end connected to the radially protruding guide blade portion on the axial outer casing side. 
     
     
         54 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 50 , wherein, when viewed on a front wall of the main body facing the impeller chamber, the guide blade portion radially protruding on the axial outer casing of the main body of the diffusor and an upstream extension formed by the radially protruding projecting portion of the connecting portion extends in an outer peripheral region of the main body in a gap between a radial outer end of a first one of the axially protruding guide blade portions and a radial outer end of a second adjacent one of the axially protruding guide blade portions, viewed in the rotational direction of the impeller. 
     
     
         55 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 50 , wherein, viewed in an installed position of the diffusor, the axially protruding guide blade portion and the connecting portion to the radially protruding guide blade portion assigned thereto on the axial outer casing side, are arranged in an upper region of the front wall of the main body facing the impeller chamber such that an air bubble which may be present above the main body in the diffusor and/or pressure chamber is prevented from flowing back inwardly in a direction of a center of the impeller chamber in a rotational operation of the impeller. 
     
     
         56 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 46 , wherein the guide blade portion axially protruding on the front wall of the main body facing the impeller chamber, terminates on an outer periphery of the main body, in a peripheral position in which an upstream one of the radially protruding guide blade portions on the axial outer casing side, viewed in the rotational direction of the impeller, terminates on the axial outer casing of the main body, viewed downstream, with an axial spacing from the front wall of the main body of the diffusor facing the impeller chamber. 
     
     
         57 . The liquid heating pump of  claim 29 , wherein the heating device has an initial portion which viewed in an axial outflow direction counter to the axial suction direction is arranged in the impeller chamber. 
     
     
         58 . A household appliance which uses water, in particular a household dishwasher or household washing machine, comprising a liquid heating pump, said liquid heating pump comprising a housing having a centrally arranged suction channel for suctioning the liquid in an axial suction direction, an impeller chamber arranged axially downstream of the suction channel and receiving suctioned liquid, and a diffusor and/or pressure chamber which is arranged axially downstream of the impeller chamber, viewed counter to the suction direction, and which is arranged externally at least around a partial portion of the suction channel, an impeller rotatably mounted in the impeller chamber for conveying the liquid into the diffusor chamber, a stationary diffusor in the diffusor and/or pressure chamber, said diffusor comprising a main body, in particular in the shape of a circular cylinder, having an axial outer casing defined by an diameter which is selected to be at least equal to 80%, in particular between 80% and 90%, preferably approximately equal to 86%, of an external diameter of the diffusor and/or pressure chamber, a heating device operably connected to the diffusor and/or pressure chamber for heating the liquid, said heating device comprising at least one, in particular axially extending, partial portion of an external defining wall of the diffusor and/or pressure chamber, with the axial outer casing of the main body of the diffusor forming at least one, in particular axially extending, partial portion of an internal defining wall of the diffusor and/or pressure chamber, and a discharge port for ejecting the liquid.