PSC motor for automatic washer

Claim 2

A continuously reversible permanent split capacitor motor comprising: a rotor having a predetermined outer diameter; a stator having a predetermined bore diameter and a predetermined outer diameter such that a stator ratio defined as said bore diameter divided by said outer diameter of said stator is about 0.43; a stator run winding line having a stator run winding with a first predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a first switch; and a stator auxiliary winding line coupled in parallel to said run winding line and having a stator auxiliary winding with a second predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a second switch, said first and second number of turns being approximately equal.

Claim 3

The motor of claim 1, wherein said motor has a capacitive reactance which is in the range 1.25 to 1.75 times a main winding open circuit reactance.

Claim 4

The motor of claim 1, wherein a winding ratio is about 1.04.

Claim 5

The motor of claim 1, wherein said permanent split capacitor motor has a first torque/speed curve for one direction of rotation of said motor and a second torque/speed curve for an opposite direction of rotation of said motor, said first torque/speed curve being substantially an inverted mirror image of said second torque speed curve.

Claim 6

The motor of claim 4, wherein said first torque speed curve lies substantially in a first and fourth quadrant and said second torque speed curve lies substantially in a second and third quadrant.

Claim 7

The motor of claim 4, wherein for operation of said permanent split capacitor motor characterized by a load line intersecting said first torque speed curve in a first quadrant and for all values of speed in said first quadrant, for all points the value of a load line less the value of said second torque speed curve is always greater than zero.

Claim 8

A drive system for an automatic washer having an agitator mounted within a wash tub, comprising: a continuously reversible low inertia permanent split capacitor motor mounted within the automatic washer, said motor being operable according to a speed versus torque curve T 1 for a first direction and to a speed versus torque curve T 2 for a second direction, said speed versus torque curves T 1 and T 2 being plotted on a two dimensional graph of speed versus torque wherein a horizontal axis is torque and a vertical axis is speed, said motor comprising: a rotor, a stator having a predetermined bore diameter and a predetermined outer diameter such that a stator ratio defined as said bore diameter divided by said outer diameter of said stator is about 0.43, a stator run winding line having a stator run winding with a first predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a first switch, and a stator auxiliary winding line coupled in parallel to said run winding line and having a stator auxiliary winding with a second predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a second switch, said first and second predetermined numbers of turns being approximately equal; a drive means linking said motor to rotate the agitator and presenting a predetermined product load line T 3 on said graph to said motor; a control circuit connected to operate said motor in first and second opposite directions, the control circuit including means for alternating motor operation in the first and second opposite directions; and said directions being such that for any positive value of speed corresponding value of torque on said product load line T 3 minus the corresponding value of torque on said speed versus torque curve T 2 is greater than zero.

Claim 9

A drive system for an automatic washer having an agitator mounted within a wash tub, comprising: a continuously reversible low inertia permanent split capacitor motor mounted within the automatic washer, said motor being operable according to a speed versus torque curve T 1 for a first direction and to a speed versus torque curve T 2 for a second direction, said speed versus torque curves T 1 and T 2 being plotted on a two dimensional graph of speed versus torque wherein a horizontal axis is torque and a vertical axis is speed, said motor comprising: a rotor, a stator having a predetermined bore diameter and a predetermined outer diameter such that a stator ratio defined as said bore diameter divided by said outer diameter of said stator is about 0.43, a stator run winding line having a stator run winding with a first predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a first switch, and a stator auxiliary winding line coupled in parallel to said run winding line and having a stator auxiliary winding with a second predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a second switch, said first and second predetermined numbers of turns being approximately equal; a drive means linking said motor to rotate the agitator and presenting a predetermined product load line T 3 on said graph to said motor; a control circuit connected to operate said motor in first and second opposite directions, the control circuit including means for alternating motor operation in the first and second opposite directions; and said directions being such that for any positive value of speed corresponding value of torque on said product load line T 3 minus the corresponding value of torque on said speed versus torque curve T 2 is greater than zero.

Claim 10

The drive system of claim 7, wherein said motor operates according to said speed versus torque curves such that for any positive value of speed, the corresponding value of torque on said load line T 3 minus the corresponding value of torque on said speed versus torque curve T 2 is greater than zero, the speed versus torque curve T 2 having negative torque values for positive speed values.

Claim 11

The drive system of claim 7, wherein said motor has a run winding and an auxiliary winding and a ratio of turns of said run winding to said auxiliary windings is approximately 1.0.

Claim 12

The drive system of claim 7, wherein the motor has a low inertia rotor having a predetermined small diameter and a predetermined long length.

Claim 13

The drive system of claim 7, wherein said motor has a predetermined number of poles (P) and at least first and second windings which are located approximately 360°/P electrical degrees apart and 360°/2P mechanical degrees apart.

Claim 14

The drive system of claim 7, wherein the motor has at least first and second windings and a ratio of turns of said first and second windings is approximately 1.04.

Claim 15

The drive system of claim 7, wherein on said graph, said speed versus torque curve T 2 is substantially an inverted mirror image of said speed versus torque curve T 1 .

Claim 16

The drive system of claim 7, where said speed versus torque curve T 2 has substantially negative values of torque for all positive values of angular speed of said motor.

Claim 17

The drive system of claim 7, wherein said motor has a capacitive reactance which is in the range 1.25 to 1.75 times a main winding open circuit reactance.

Claim 18

A reversing drive system comprising: a load adapted to be rotatably driven, said load having a predetermined load line T 3 representing a steady state torque the load exerts in resistance to being rotated at various angular speeds; a continuously reversing permanent split capacitor motor interconnected with said load to rotatably drive said load, said motor operable in a first direction according to a predetermined first curve T 1 representing torque versus angular speed and in a second direction according to a predetermined second curve T 2 such that said line T 3 intersects said first curve T 1 in a first quadrant of a two dimensional graph whose horizontal axis is torque and whose vertical axis is angular speed, said first quadrant characterized by positive values of torque and speed and further such that said line T 3 does not intersect said second curve T 2 in the first quadrant, whereby operating said motor in said first direction drives said load to accelerate until said line T 3 intersects with said first curve T 1 in said first quadrant and subsequently operating said motor in said second direction decelerates said load and reverse the direction of rotation of said load, said motor comprising: a rotor, a stator having a predetermined bore diameter and a predetermined outer diameter such that a stator ratio defined as said bore diameter divided by said outer diameter of said stator is about 0.43, a stator run winding line having a stator run winding with a first predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a first switch, and a stator auxiliary winding line coupled in parallel to said stator run winding line and having a stator auxiliary winding with a second predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a second switch, said first and second predetermined numbers of turns being approximately equal.

Claim 19

A reversing drive system comprising: a load adapted to be rotatably driven, said load having a predetermined load line T 3 representing a steady state torque the load exerts in resistance to being rotated at various angular speeds; a continuously reversing permanent split capacitor motor interconnected with said load to rotatably drive said load, said motor operable in a first direction according to a predetermined first curve T 1 representing torque versus angular speed and in a second direction according to a predetermined second curve T 2 such that said line T 3 intersects said first curve T 1 in a first quadrant of a two dimensional graph whose horizontal axis is torque and whose vertical axis is angular speed, said first quadrant characterized by positive values of torque and speed and further such that said line T 3 does not intersect said second curve T 2 in the first quadrant, whereby operating said motor in said first direction drives said load to accelerate until said line T 3 intersects with said first curve T 1 in said first quadrant and subsequently operating said motor in said second direction decelerates said load and reverse the direction of rotation of said load, said motor comprising: a rotor, a stator having a predetermined bore diameter and a predetermined outer diameter such that a stator ratio defined as said bore diameter divided by said outer diameter of said stator is about 0.43, a stator run winding line having a stator run winding with a first predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a first switch, and a stator auxiliary winding line coupled in parallel to said stator run winding line and having a stator auxiliary winding with a second predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a second switch, said first and second predetermined numbers of turns being approximately equal.

Claim 20

The reversing drive system of claim 16, further comprising a control means operably connected to said motor to operate said motor in said first and second directions.

Claim 21

The reversing drive system of claim 16, wherein said second curve T 2 has substantially negative torque values for substantially all positive values of angular speed of said rotor.

Claim 22

The reversing drive system of claim 16, wherein said motor has a capacitive reactance which is in the range 1.25 to 1.75 times a main winding open circuit reactance.

Claim 23

The reversing drive system of claim 16, wherein a winding ratio is about 1.04.

Claim 24

The reversing drive system of claim 16, wherein said permanent split capacitor motor has a first torque/speed curve for one direction of rotation of said rotor and a second torque/speed curve for an opposite direction of rotation of said rotor, said first torque/speed curve being substantially an inverted mirror image of said second torque/speed curve.

Claim 25

The motor of claim 23, wherein said first curve T 1 lies substantially only in the first quadrant and a fourth quadrant of a graph whose horizontal axis is a plot of torque values and whose vertical axis is a plot of correspondingly angular speed values, and said second curve T 2 lies in substantially a second quadrant and third quadrant of said graph.

Claim 26

The motor of claim 16, wherein operation of said permanent split capacitor motor is characterized by said load line that intersects only said first curve T 1 in said first quadrant, and for all positive values of speed, a corresponding torque value of the load line less a corresponding torque value of said second curve T 2 is always greater than zero.

Claim 27

The reversing drive system of claim 16, wherein said motor has said run winding and said auxiliary winding and a ratio of turns of said run winding to said auxiliary winding is approximately 1.0.

Claim 28

The reversing drive system of claim 16, wherein the motor has a low inertia rotor having a predetermined small diameter and a predetermined long length.

Claim 29

A continuously reversible permanent split capacitor motor comprising a rotor, a stator having a predetermined bore diameter and a predetermined outer diameter such that a stator ratio defined as bore diameter divided by said outer diameter of said stator is about 0.43, a stator run winding line having a first predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a first switch, and a stator auxiliary winding line coupled in parallel to said stator run winding line and having a stator auxiliary winding with a second predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a second switch, said first and second numbers of turns being approximately equal, said motor operating according to a speed versus torque curve T 1 on a two-dimensional graph whose horizontal axis comprises torque values and whose vertical axis comprises angular speed values, for a first direction of rotation and a speed versus torque curve T 2 for a second direction of rotation such that curve T 2 lies in a second quadrant for all negative values of angular speed of the rotor, said second quadrant characterized by negative values of torque and positive values of speed.

Claim 30

A continuously reversible permanent split capacitor motor comprising a rotor, a stator having a predetermined bore diameter and a predetermined outer diameter such that a stator ratio defined as bore diameter divided by said outer diameter of said stator is about 0.43, a stator run winding line having a first predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a first switch, and a stator auxiliary winding line coupled in parallel to said stator run winding line and having a stator auxiliary winding with a second predetermined number of turns coupled in series with a second switch, said first and second numbers of turns being approximately equal, said motor operating according to a speed versus torque curve T 1 on a two-dimensional graph whose horizontal axis comprises torque values and whose vertical axis comprises angular speed values, for a first direction of rotation and a speed versus torque curve T 2 for a second direction of rotation such that curve T 2 lies in a second quadrant for all negative values of angular speed of the rotor, said second quadrant characterized by negative values of torque and positive values of speed.

Claim 31

The motor of claim 26, wherein said speed versus torque curve T 2 is substantially an inverted mirror image of said speed versus torque curve T 1 on said graph.

Claim 32

The motor of claim 26, wherein said motor has a capacitive reactance which is in a range 1.25 to 1.75 times a main winding open circuit reactance.

Claim 33

The motor of claim 26, wherein a winding ratio of run and auxiliary windings is about 1.04.