Patent US4446706A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4446706A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Washing machine
Assignee: Institut Cerac SA
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Filing: 1982-12-15
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Granted: 1984-05-08
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Expires: 2002-12-15
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to a washing machine which comprises a casing (1) having a washing-liquid container (2) and a cylindrical washing drum (3) rotatably arranged in the container. The washing drum is driven by a single, brushless a.c.motor, to which energy is supplied from an inverter (41), so that the washing machine may be driven at a desired, alternative number of revolutions/min, which are preprogrammed and within an extended range of revolutions/min.
Inventors
- 👤 Carl S. M. Hartwig
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 12:42
CPC Classifications
H; H02; H02P; H02P27/00; H02P27/04; H02P27/06; H02P27/08; D; D06; D06F; D06F34/00; D06F34/08; D06F37/00; D06F37/30; D06F37/304; D06F2103/00; D06F2103/24; D06F2103/44; D06F2103/46; D06F2105/00; D06F2105/46; D06F2105/48
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A washing machine comprising; a casing (1) which includes a washing-liquid container (2) and a washing drum (3) rotatably supported within the container (2) and intended to receive a washing load; a single electric bi-directional, brushless a.c. motor (84) including a rotor and a stator, means directly mechanically connecting said rotor to the rotatable washing drum, said a.c. motor being of multi-pole type and provided with terminals connected to a source of a.c. mains voltage via the out-put terminals of an inverter (41), and said inverter comprising means for generating an a.c. voltage at a variable frequency having a maximum value corresponding to the highest rotational speed of the washing drum selected and being in excess of the frequency of the mains voltage supplied to the inverter input.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
128 words
A washing machine comprising; a casing (1) which includes a washing-liquid container (2) and a washing drum (3) rotatably supported within the container (2) and intended to receive a washing load; a single electric bi-directional, brushless a.c. motor (84) including a rotor and a stator, means directly mechanically connecting said rotor to the rotatable washing drum, said a.c. motor being of multi-pole type and provided with terminals connected to a source of a.c. mains voltage via the out-put terminals of an inverter (41), and said inverter comprising means for generating an a.c. voltage at a variable frequency having a maximum value corresponding to the highest rotational speed of the washing drum selected and being in excess of the frequency of the mains voltage supplied to the inverter input.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
78 words
A washing machine according to claim 1, wherein said a.c. motor (84) comprises a stator (20), which is provided with non-pole-changeable windings which are constantly active in operation, and wherein said inverter further comprises means (41) for supplying an a.c. voltage to the windings at a frequency, amplitude and phase sequence such that the motor alone ensures both washing in the two directions of rotation of the motor and spin-drying, and each at at least one selected speed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
64 words
A washing machine according to claim 2 wherein said inverter (84) comprises a static, preferably transistor-based converter having means (81, 82, 85) for sensing the load prevailing on the motor at each moment in time; and guide means (73) for the non-pole-changeable automatic adjustment of the output parameters, frequency and voltage of said converter in response to the load on the washing machine motor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
A washing machine according to claim 3, wherein the washing machine includes a program mechanism (4) arranged to send signals corresponding to the set-point value of drum speed and rotational direction of the guide means (73).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
A washing machine according to claim 4, including means (143) arranged to produce a real value corresponding to drum speed, and means for sending said real value, together with said set-point value to a control circuit (142) for producing a frequency correction signal for correcting the frequency applied to the motor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
112 words
A washing machine according to claim 3, wherein sensing means (85) senses the d.c. current supplied to the inverter, said sensing means being connected to a first detector (87) arranged to generate a current signal corresponding to the magnitude of the sensed current, said detector being connected to a control circuit (93) for transmitting a frequency control signal to switching means (64-69) arranged to alternately connect said terminals (70-72) of the motor to a positive (62) and a negative (63) pole terminal of the d.c. voltage source of the converter; and wherein the control circuit comprises means such that frequency control signal is reduced when said current signal exceeds a given value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
A washing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the washing drum (3) is provided with a trunnion (8) projecting from the washing-liquid container (2), the rotor (16) being fixedly mounted on said trunnion while the stator (20) is mounted on the liquid-washing container (2).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
76 words
A washing machine according to claim 1 or claim 7, characterized in that the rotor (16) and/or the stator (20) has a magnetizable core provided with tooth-like projections (25,26) and intermediate grooves (27,28,29) for receiving electrical conductors (34), said core comprising a plurality of strips of magnetizable material undulated to form said tooth-like projections and grooves with the tooth-like projections of respective strips meshing with one another, said strips being bent to form a circular ring.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1987-05-08 | 1987-11-07 | 1988-05-08 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-05-08 | 1991-11-07 | 1992-05-08 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-05-08 | 1995-11-07 | 1996-05-08 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |