1. A water guide for an appliance, comprising:
a case fixed to the appliance, the case enclosing an inner space, having an air inlet communicating with an atmosphere external to the case;
a drain passage, provided in the case, having one end communicating with the external atmosphere and another end communicating with a sump for receiving washing water, at least part of the drain passage being routed via a point higher than a water level in the sump;
a valve assembly, disposed above the drain passage, for selectively introducing external air into the drain passage via the air inlet;
a feed passage, provided in the case, communicating with the sump and a water feed valve, part of the feed passage being higher than the water level in the sump wherein the drain passage is positioned within the appliance such that the entire drain passage is elevated higher than a highest elevation of the drain hose; and
a water level sensor, provided in the case, for sensing a full water level in the sump.
2. The water guide of claim 1, wherein the valve assembly comprises:
a valve chamber, provided above the drain passage and communicating with the drain passage, the valve chamber communicating with the external atmosphere via an aperture formed in an upper side of the valve chamber; and
a valve body, provided inside the valve chamber, for closing and opening the aperture by ascending and descending inside the valve chamber.
3. The water guide of claim 2, wherein the valve assembly further comprises a needle, extending from the valve body through the aperture, for guiding the ascending and descending movement of the valve body inside the valve chamber.
4. The water guide of claim 1, further comprising:
a check valve for preventing a reverse flow of water drained through the drain passage; and
a hinged shutter, provided in the drain passage, for opening and closing the drain passage.
5. The water guide of claim 4, wherein the hinged shutter, when in a closed position, is disposed obliquely to create a self-weighted seal of the drain passage.
6. The water guide of claim 1, wherein the feed passage communicates with the air inlet.
7. The water guide of claim 1, wherein the case has a tub opening formed in one side to communicate with a tub of the appliance, wherein the appliance is a dishwasher.
8. The water guide of claim 1, further comprising a flow meter, disposed in the feed passage, for measuring an amount of water flowing through the feed passage, the flow meter having an inlet disposed at a high point, an outlet disposed at a low point, and an impeller disposed between the inlet and the outlet.
9. The water guide of claim 1, wherein the water level sensor comprises:
a tube, provided in the case, such that an inner water level is varied depending on a water level of the sump;
a floater provided inside the tube; a lever, supported in the tube and spaced a predetermined interval from the floater; and
a switch, disposed on the lever, having a pair of contact terminals that are closed when the lever ascends.
10. The water guide of claim 9, wherein the water level sensor further comprises a partitioning plate, provided in the tube to support the lever, for partitioning an inner space of the tube into an upper space and a lower space, the partitioning plate having a hole for receiving the lever.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal comprising:
a structure; and
a plurality of cascaded field effect transistors embedded in the structure, the transistor having an associated electrical current that changes with mechanical perturbations in the structure.
2. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the structure is a cantilever.
3. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors are MOSFETs.
4. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors are BiMOS transistors.
5. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors is cascaded in series.
6. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the sensor detects biomolecular interactions.
7. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors are arranged across the length of the structure.
8. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 further comprising readout electronics for measuring the electrical signal.
9. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 8 wherein the readout electronics are passivated with an insulating layer for measuring the electrical signal in fluid.
10. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 8 wherein the readout electronics are integrated with the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors.
11. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors is capable of operation together or individually.
12. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the structure is coated in gold.
13. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors is configured for current flow perpendicular to the length of the structure or parallel to the length of the structure.
14. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors is positioned on a high stress region of the structure.
15. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cascaded field effect transistors represent a plurality of embedded microcantilevers and wherein the plurality of embedded microcantilevers include at least one reference microcantilever and at least one sense microcantilever.
16. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal comprising:
a plurality of microcantilevers arranged to create an array of microcantilevers, the plurality of microcantilevers including at least one reference microcantilever and at least one sense microcantilever; and
a plurality of cascaded MOSFETs embedded in each of the plurality of microcantilevers, the MOSFETs having an associated electrical current that changes with mechanical perturbations in the microcantilever.
17. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 16 wherein the at least one reference microcantilever comprises at least one SiNx microcantilever and the at least one sense microcantilever comprises at least one gold-coated microcantilever.
18. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 16 wherein a carrier transport direction of the plurality of cascaded MOSFETs is perpendicular to the length of the microcantilever.
19. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 16 wherein a carrier transport direction of the plurality of cascaded MOSFETs is parallel to the length of the microcantilever.
20. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal comprising:
a first microcantilever;
a second microcantilever;
a first series of cascaded MOSFETs embedded along a length of the first microcantilever, the first microcantilever having a surface coated with a material to which a probe molecule will adhere;
a second series of cascaded MOSFET embedded along a length of the second microcantilever; and
a differential amplifier coupled to the first and second series of cascaded MOSFETs to provide an electronic readout.
21. A sensor for detecting mechanical perturbations represented by a change in an electrical signal as recited in claim 20 wherein the MOSFETs in at least one of the first and second series of cascaded MOSFETs are capable of individual or coordinated operation.
22. A hybrid sensor system for performing conductivity measurement, capacitance measurement and cantilever bending measurement using a plurality of MOSFETs embedded on a cantilever, wherein said conductivity measurement is obtained by measuring a change in resistance of finger electrodes on said cantilever to detect a toxic gas or vapor, wherein said capacitance measurement is obtained by detecting an amount of surface charge on the cantilever due to receptor-target interaction and wherein said cantilever bending measurement is obtained using embedded BiMOS technology.
23. An infrared imaging system, said system comprising a cantilever including a MOSFET embedded along a length of said cantilever, wherein said embedded MOSFET cantilever detected infrared-deduction deflection of said cantilever based on a MOSFET drain current signal.
24. An infrared imaging system as recited in claim 23, wherein said embedded MOSFET cantilever includes a microcantilever-based focal plane array with an integrated electronic readout and an infrared imaging lens.