Fisher & Paykel Limited

Graeme D Thomas

Dennis E Smith

Gerald David Duncan

Frank W Shacklock

John J Williams

John G Borrows

Keith D Ferguson

An electric motor (2) for a clothes washing machine including the motor and a drive, the motor having a stator (25) held outboard of a frame carrying bearings (37, 38) in which a shaft (11) rotates, the shaft carrying the rotor (21) outboard of the stator (25), and permanent magnets (17) on an inner face of the rotor. The stator (25) is formed as an annular helical yoke edgewise wound from a strip of magnetic material and having an inner face and an outer face, the strip having pole pieces (8) formed integrally therewith extending from one edge of the strip and the strip being edgewise wound whereby the pole pieces coincide in stacked groups to form a plurality of poles arranged at equally spaced intervals extending radially outwardly from the outer face of the yoke. Energizable stator windings (26) are wound directly on the poles (8) of the stator and are adapted to be energized through an electronic commutation circuit (65,66) and the rotor (21) is mounted for rotation exteriorly of and relative to the stator, the rotor comprising a backing ring (16) of magnetic material and a series of permanent magnets (17) held at spaced-apart intervals on an inner surface of the backing ring (16) and opposing the poles (8) of the stator (25).

Electric motor for clothes washing machine drive

An electric motor, a drive and a clothes washing machine including the motor and drive, the motor having a stator held outboard of a frame carrying bearings in which a shaft rotates, the shaft carrying the rotor outboard of the stator, the rotor having permanent magnets on an inner face thereof. The shaft carries an agitator and a spin tub of the clothes washing machine, and interconnecting members between a part rotatable with the agitator and a part rotatable with the spin tub are movable axially on the shaft relative to each other by a buoyancy system which is operated by the absence or presence of water in a container of the clothes washing machine to connect the spin tub and the agitator, to be driven by the shaft continuously in one direction for spinning clothes when water is at a low level in or absent from the container, and to disconnect the spin tub from the shaft, leaving the agitator still connected to the shaft when sufficient water is in the container so that rotation of the shaft backwards and forwards by the motor washes clothes in the spin tub by backwards and forwards movement of the agitator.

Intermediate bearing drives for clothes washing machines

An electric motor, a drive and a clothes washing machine including the motor and drive are described, the motor having a stator held outboard of a frame carrying bearings in which a shaft rotates, the shaft carrying the rotor outboard of the stator, the rotor having permanent magnets on an inner face thereof. The shaft carries an agitator and a spin tub of the clothes washing machine and interconnecting members between a part rotatable with the agitator and a part rotatable with the spin tub are movable axially on the shaft relative to each other by a buoyancy system which is operated by the absence or presence of water in a container of the clothes washing machine to connect the spin tub and the agitator to be driven by the shaft continuously in one direction for spinning clothes when water is at a low level in or absent from the container and to disconnect the spin tub from the shaft, leaving the agitator still connected to the shaft when sufficient water is in the container so that rotation of the shaft backwards and forwards by the motor washes clothes in the spin tub by backwards and forwards movement of the agitator.

Drives for clothes washing machines

A clothes washing machine has a cabinet with either a back panel or front panel integral with two side panels and a removable front back panel. A platform integral with or mounted on stiffening members is fixed to the cabinet intermediate of the height thereof by shear resistant fastenings and a lightweight outer container containing an inner perforated frame is mounted on the platform. The washing and spinning mechanism is also supported by the platform.

Growing community of inventors

Auckland, New Zealand

Graeme D Thomas