Laundry machine

Claim 1

Apparatus for laundering fabrics in a fluid comprising: a fluid tub arranged to selectively receive fluid therein and including a flange depending from an end wall of said fluid tub, said flange defining a first extending through said end wall of said fluid tub; a spin tub rotatably disposed in said fluid tub and arranged to receive the fabrics and fluid therein, said spin tub including a plurality of means for the passage therethrough of the fluid, and a second opening in said spin tub arranged generally in axial alignment with said first opening, said spin tub being operable in a spin mode to spin the fabrics therein and centrifugally displace fluid from the fabrics through said passage means in said spin tub into said fluid tub; pump means associated with said fluid tub and operable for draining at least a part of the fluid from said fluid tub at least during the spin mode operation of said spin tub; a tubular sleeve extending at least in part through said first opening and having a part extending into said fluid tub and through said second opening in said spin tub thereinto, said tubular sleeve part being secured to said spin tub at least generally adjacent said second opening therein; first bearing means disposed within said first opening and interposed between said flange and said tubular sleeve for rotatably supporting said tubular sleeve and said spin tub; first sealing means interposed between said tubular sleeve and said fluid tub for obviating passage therefrom of fluid through said first opening between said flange and said tubular sleeve; a rotatable shaft extending through said tubular sleeve and having a pair of opposite end portions; an agitator rotatably disposed in said spin tub and secured to one of said opposite end portions of said rotatable shaft, said agitator being conjointly operable with said spin tub in the spin mode thereof and also operable independently in a laundering mode to agitate the fabrics in fluid in said spin tub and said fluid tub; second bearing means disposed between said tubular sleeve part and said rotatable shaft for rotatably supporting said rotatable shaft and said agitator; second sealing means interposed between said rotatable shaft and said tubular sleeve part for obviating passage of fluid from said fluid tub through said tubular sleeve; an inside out salient pole electronically commutated motor having a stationary assembly and a rotatable assembly, said stationary assembly including a generally annular yoke arranged in mounting relation with said flange on said fluid tub exteriorly thereof and having an inner circumferential surface disposed at least in part about said flange, a set of salient pole pieces on said annular yoke and extending generally outwardly therefrom on a set of preselected pitch axes, respectively, and a set of concentrated winding stages arranged about said salient pole pieces and adapted to be electronically commutated in a plurality of preselected sequences, respectively, said rotatable assembly including a generally annular rotor interconnected with the other of said opposite end portions of said rotatable shaft and having an inner circumferential surface arranged generally circumferentially about said salient pole pieces on said annular yoke, and a set of permanent magnet material elements secured in arcuate spaced apart relation to said inner circumferential surface of said annularrotor and associated in selective magnetic coupling relation with said concentrated winding stages on said salient pole pieces, respectively, said annular rotor and said permanent magnetic material elements thereon being rotatably driven in one direction and another direction opposite the one direction in response to the electronic commutation of said concentrated winding stages in one of the preselected sequences thereby to rotatably drive said rotatable shaft and said agitator in the one and another directions to effect the independent operation of said agitator means in the laundry mode thereof; and a clutch to effect conjoint operation of the aqitator and the spin tub in the spin mode when said annular rotor and said permanent magnet material elements thereon are rotatably driven in one of the one and another directions, in response to the electronic commutation of at least some of said concentrated winding stages in another of the preselected sequences rotatably driving said rotatable shaft and said agitator in the one of the one and another directions.