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4.8 Inner and Outer Bowls
The outer bowl is the assembly to which all the motor, pump system, suspension rods, etc are mounted.
Within the outer bowl is the inner bowl and the agitator. During spin, the agitator and inner bowl have to
be coupled together and turn as a single unit. In agitate the agitator and inner bowl are free to rotate
independently.
In Smartdrive the inner bowl is free to move in a vertical direction. The position of the inner bowl is
determined by the water level. At the base of the inner bowl is a flotation chamber consisting of a number
of individual cells. When Smartdrive is filling with water the pressure on the air in these cells increases
as the water level rises until eventually the inner bowl floats upwards and disengages the driven spline
from the drive spline. This action frees the agitator from the inner bowl and allows it to move freely in
both directions.
When the water is draining from Smartdrive the pressure on the air trapped in the cells of the flotation
chamber decreases allowing the inner bowl to settle back down onto the drive spline and re-engage the
driven spline thus allowing the agitator and inner bowl to turn as one unit. The floating bowl is also used
to detect if the user has selected the correct water level for the size of the clothes load in Smartdrive.
The point at which the bowl starts to float is determined by the water level and the size of the load. The
greater the load, the more water is needed before the inner bowl will float. By detecting the point at
which the bowl floats, Smartdrive can determine whether the correct water level for the particular clothes
load has been chosen by the operator. If the operator has chosen a level that is too low for the load,
Smartdrive will override that choice and fill to the correct level. This is to ensure optimum wash
performance and minimal clothes wear. If the user has selected a level that is higher than necessary,
Smartdrive will still fill to the users selected level.
Diagram showing the Floating Bowl