US6737828B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Washing machine motor drive device
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 2002-07-02
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Granted: 2004-05-18
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Expires: 2022-07-02
Abstract
Abstract A washing machine motor drive device drives a motor using an inverter circuit, which implements a constant torque control through a change in the torque-revolution speed characteristic of the motor. This facilitates an easy control of braking torque (negative torque), thereby providing a maximized braking torque. An easy control of regenerative energy is also provided, and back electromotive force is consumed by the internal resistance of the motor. Practically described, DC power of a rectifier circuit connected to an alternating current source is converted by an inverter circuit into AC power for driving the motor for operating an agitator or a washing/spinning tub. Motor rotor position is detected by rotor position detector, motor current is detected by current detector, and a control device controls the inverter circuit for resolving the motor current into a current component corresponding to magnetic flux and a current component corresponding to torque. At a motor braking operation, the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque are controlled independently. As a result, the torque at high speed revolution can be increased, or the efficiency at low speed revolution can be improved. This leads to the use a downsized and energy-conscious motor, and contributes to the prevention of an abnormal rise of DC voltage in the inverter circuit.
Inventors
- 👤 Mitsuyuki Kiuchi
- 👤 Norimasa Kondo
- 👤 Sadayuki Tamae
- 👤 Hisashi Hagiwara
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 03:11
CPC Classifications
D; D06; D06F; D06F37/00; D06F37/30; D06F37/304; H; H02; H02P; H02P21/00; H02P21/06; H02P21/36; H02P27/00; H02P27/04; H02P27/06; H02P27/08; H02P6/00; H02P6/08; H02P6/085; D06F2103/00; D06F2103/02; D06F2103/04; D06F2103/24; D06F2103/44; D06F2105/00; D06F2105/46; D06F2105/48; D06F34/00; D06F34/14; D06F34/18; Y; Y02; Y02B; Y02B40/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
176 words
A washing machine motor drive device comprising: an alternating current source; a rectifier circuit connected to said alternating current source; an inverter circuit operable to convert DC power of said rectifier circuit into AC power; a DC brushless motor driven by said inverter circuit, said DC brushless motor being operable to drive an agitator or a washing/spinning tub; a rotor position detector operable to detect a rotor position of said DC brushless motor; a current detector operable to detect a current of said DC brushless motor; and a control device operable to control said inverter circuit, wherein said control device resolves the current of said DC brushless motor into a current component that corresponds to magnetic flux and a current component that corresponds to torque, controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently, and controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux so that the current component corresponding to magnetic flux is increased in a negative direction in accordance with a revolution speed of said DC brushless motor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
176 words
A washing machine motor drive device comprising: an alternating current source; a rectifier circuit connected to said alternating current source; an inverter circuit operable to convert DC power of said rectifier circuit into AC power; a DC brushless motor driven by said inverter circuit, said DC brushless motor being operable to drive an agitator or a washing/spinning tub; a rotor position detector operable to detect a rotor position of said DC brushless motor; a current detector operable to detect a current of said DC brushless motor; and a control device operable to control said inverter circuit, wherein said control device resolves the current of said DC brushless motor into a current component that corresponds to magnetic flux and a current component that corresponds to torque, controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently, and controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux so that the current component corresponding to magnetic flux is increased in a negative direction in accordance with a revolution speed of said DC brushless motor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
A washing machine motor drive device of claim 1 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux so that the current component corresponding to magnetic flux becomes substantially zero when the revolution speed of said DC brushless motor is low.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
57 words
A washing machine motor drive device of claim 1 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux so that the current component corresponding to magnetic flux is increased in a negative direction when the revolution speed of said DC brushless motor is high for driving a washing/spinning tub for a dehydration operation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
A washing machine motor drive device of claim 1 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux so that the current component corresponding to magnetic flux is increased in a negative direction when the revolution speed of said DC brushless motor is high for driving an agitator for a washing operation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
60 words
A washing machine motor drive device of claim 1 , further comprising a clothes amount detector operable to detect an amount of clothes in a washing/spinning tub, wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently in accordance with the amount of clothes detected by said clothes amount detector.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
76 words
A washing machine motor drive device of claim 1 , wherein said control device comprises a start control device operable to control motor revolution at a start of revolution, and said control device makes a direct control on a voltage to be applied to said DC brushless motor at the start of revolution via said start control device, and then controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
81 words
A washing machine motor drive device of claim 1 , wherein said control device comprises a start control device operable to control motor revolution at a start of revolution, and said control device makes a direct control on a voltage to be applied to said DC brushless motor at the start of revolution via said start control device, and then controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently in accordance with revolution speed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
A washing machine motor drive device of claim 1 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently at a motor braking operation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
A motor drive device of claim 8 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to torque so that the current component corresponding to torque meets a specified value at the motor braking operation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The motor drive device of claim 8 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to torque so that the current component corresponding to torque is specified in a negative value at the motor braking operation.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
A motor drive device of claim 8 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently so that the current components corresponding to magnetic flux and torque meet respective specified values at the motor braking operation.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
A motor drive device of claim 8 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux so that the current component corresponding to magnetic flux is greater than the current component corresponding to torque at a start of a motor braking operation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
74 words
A motor drive device of claim 8 , further comprising revolution speed detector operable to detect a revolution speed from an output signal of said rotor position detector, wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently in accordance with the revolution speed so that the current components corresponding to magnetic flux and torque meet respective specified values at a motor braking operation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
158 words
A washing machine motor drive device comprising: an alternating current source; a rectifier circuit connected to said alternating current source; an inverter circuit operable to convert DC power of said rectifier circuit into AC power; a motor driven by said inverter circuit, said motor being operable to drive an agitator or a washing/spinning tub; a rotor position detector operable to detect a rotor position of said motor; a current detector operable to detect a motor current of said motor; a DC voltage detector operable to detect DC voltage of said inverter circuit; and a control device operable to control said inverter circuit, wherein said control device resolves the motor current into a current component that corresponds to magnetic flux and a current component that corresponds to torque, and controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently so that the DC voltage meets a specified value at a motor braking operation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
158 words
A washing machine motor drive device comprising: an alternating current source; a rectifier circuit connected to said alternating current source; an inverter circuit operable to convert DC power of said rectifier circuit into AC power; a motor driven by said inverter circuit, said motor being operable to drive an agitator or a washing/spinning tub; a rotor position detector operable to detect a rotor position of said motor; a current detector operable to detect a motor current of said motor; a DC voltage detector operable to detect DC voltage of said inverter circuit; and a control device operable to control said inverter circuit, wherein said control device resolves the motor current into a current component that corresponds to magnetic flux and a current component that corresponds to torque, and controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently so that the DC voltage meets a specified value at a motor braking operation.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
A motor drive device of claim 14 , wherein said control device controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux, or a voltage component, so that the DC voltage of said inverter circuit meets a specified value at the motor braking operation.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
157 words
A washing machine motor drive device comprising: an alternating current source; a rectifier circuit connected to said alternating current source; an inverter circuit operable to convert DC power of said rectifier circuit into AC power; a motor driven by said inverter circuit, said motor being operable to drive an agitator or a washing/spinning tub; a rotor position detector operable to detect a rotor position of said motor; a current detector operable to detect a motor current of said motor; a motor electric power detector operable to detect a power of said motor; and a control device operable to control said inverter circuit, wherein said control device resolves the motor current into a current component that corresponds to magnetic flux and a current component that corresponds to torque, and controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently in accordance with the power of said motor at the motor braking operation.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
157 words
A washing machine motor drive device comprising: an alternating current source; a rectifier circuit connected to said alternating current source; an inverter circuit operable to convert DC power of said rectifier circuit into AC power; a motor driven by said inverter circuit, said motor being operable to drive an agitator or a washing/spinning tub; a rotor position detector operable to detect a rotor position of said motor; a current detector operable to detect a motor current of said motor; a motor electric power detector operable to detect a power of said motor; and a control device operable to control said inverter circuit, wherein said control device resolves the motor current into a current component that corresponds to magnetic flux and a current component that corresponds to torque, and controls the current component corresponding to magnetic flux and the current component corresponding to torque independently in accordance with the power of said motor at the motor braking operation.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
A motor drive device of claim 16 , wherein said motor electric power detector makes calculations based on a power component corresponding to magnetic flux and a power component corresponding to torque for performing control.
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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) | 2007-05-18 | 2007-11-17 | 2008-05-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-05-18 | 2011-11-17 | 2012-05-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-05-18 | 2015-11-17 | 2016-05-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |