Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited

Fisher & Paykel Limited

Hugh Griffith Johnson

Russell Joseph Jackson

Allen James Guinibert

Geoffrey Simon Frazerhurst

Daryl Leonard Hirst

Bruce Reginald Frank McGregor

Daniel Keith Raphael Pitt

Jonathan David Harwood

Gregory Paul Hill

Geoffrey Alan Lee

Anna Kathryn Duncan

Bradley Clive Abraham

Andy Alexander Hilgers

Adrian Anthony Sargeant

Olaf Adrian Hojland Eskildsen

Radu Gramada

Armando Morles Velandia

Olaf Adrian Hojland Eekildsen

Bruce Reginald Frank Mcgregor

The present invention relates to a washing machine () and pump () for a washing machine (). The pump is driven by a brushless DC motor (). The pump can be controlled to improve the operation of the washing machine. In one aspect the invention comprises a washing machine () with a variable speed pump () for pumping out wastewater, a controller () for controlling the speed of the pump and a sensor () for determining the flow-rate of water being pumped from the washing machine, wherein the controller () controls the speed of the pump to maintain the flow-rate at a desirable level.

Washing machines

A pump for pumping water from a bowl of a washing machine is provided. The pump includes a housing coupled to the bowl and a cover with an aperture. The housing and the cover define an interior in fluid communication with the bowl interior via the aperture. A filter filters water entering the interior via the aperture. The filter has a profiled wall defining a volute around the aperture, and a hood disposed above the wall. The profile of the hood perimeter substantially corresponding to the profiled wall to define a profiled space between the perimeter and the profiled wall. The profiled space allows water to enter the volute but substantially prevents elongated objects entering the volute.

Recirculation control in a washing machine

A laundry appliance includes a cabinet or surround structure with an attachment for a removable front panel and a removable front panel for attachment to the cabinet. The appliance is a drum and a drum support structure supporting the drum for rotation. There is a movement interface between the drum support structure and the cabinet or surround structure, allowing the drum support structure to move between an operating condition within the cabinet and a maintenance condition wherein the drum and drum support structure are at least substantially disposed outside the envelope defined by the cabinet. In the operating condition the drum and support structure are hidden behind the removable front panel. They may be moved out to the maintenance condition after removal of the front panel.

Laundry appliance

A laundry machine includes a cabinet and a laundry holding drum rotatably supported therewithin. The drum includes a wall and a drum hatch comprising a section of the wall. A motor is connected to rotate the drum. A controller is configured to operate the motor to drive the drum through a closing operation. The closing operation includes rotating the drum in a direction to bring the drum opening toward the drum hatch to re-close the opening with the drum hatch and to detect stopping of the drum rotation. The controller may provide user feedback that a closure disruption has occurred. The drum hatch is configured to close circumferentially, with a leading edge of the drum hatch approaching a leading edge of the remaining wall. The leading edges are shaped such that interposition of fabric between the leading edges during closure stops the drum hatch reaching a fully closed position.

A laundry drying machine includes a cabinet and a laundry holding drum rotatably supported within the cabinet for rotation. The drum includes a wall that is circumferential relative to the rotation and a drum hatch that is a section of the wall. The drum forms an enclosure together with at least one stationary end surface centred on the axis of rotation of the drum. A motor is connected to drive rotation of the drum and a fan provides a flow of air through the interior of the drum. The drum includes an outlet opening centred on the axis of rotation and an annular filter screen extending from the periphery of the drum outlet and rotating with the drum. The annular screen is connected along one circumferential edge to the drum. There is an annular sliding seal between the other annular edge of the screen and the outlet duct and an annular sliding seal between the outlet duct and the drum external to the annular filter screen.

A self adjusting foot arrangement for an appliance cabinet has a first socket connected with the cabinet and a second socket connected with the cabinet spaced apart from the first socket. A foot downwardly protrudes from each socket and is moveable along axis into and out of the respective socket. A non-extensile band is fixed at one end to the first socket, passes into the first socket to bear on the first foot and is fixed at its other end to the second socket passing into the second socket to bear on the second foot. The band passes over the top of each foot within the respective socket.

Self-levelling foot arrangement for an appliance

A clothes drying appliance includes a cabinet and a drum inside the cabinet supported on a drum support structure. A belt passes around the drive pulley of a drive motor and around the drum for driving rotation of the drum in either direction. A belt tensioning device includes a pair of spaced apart tensioning pulleys each having an axis of rotation substantially parallel with the axis of rotation of the drive pulley. An imaginary line between the centres of the tensioning pulleys separates the drive pulley from the drum. The pulleys are supported on a yoke and the yoke passes around the drive pulley, with the tensioning pulleys spaced sufficiently close to impinge upon the path of the belt passing around the pulley and drum. A biasing agent such as a spring presses the pulleys toward the drum by urging the yoke toward the pulley.

A laundry drying machine includes a cabinet and a laundry holding drum rotatably supported within said cabinet for rotation about a horizontal axis. The drum includes a cylindrical wall and a pair of ends. A drum hatch comprises a section of the cylindrical wall. A motor is connected to drive rotation of the drum via a drive belt. A hatch engaging member is actuable to grasp and hold the drum hatch relative to the cabinet. A controller operatively connected with the motor, is configured to operate the machine through each of:

A drum hatch engaging mechanism is for inclusion in a laundry appliance having a cabinet and a drum rotatable within the cabinet. The mechanism includes a drum hatch engaging member connected with the cabinet with the connection providing for movement of the member between non-engagement and engagement positions. An actuator is provided to selectively move the drum hatch engaging member between the positions. A catch member is connected with a sliding hatch of the drum. The connection between the catch member and the sliding hatch provides for movement of the catch member between a position adjacent the skin of the drum and an outwardly displaced position. The drum hatch engaging member includes a ramped abutment to engage and lift the catch member to the outer position through movement of the catch member toward the abutment during an opening rotation of the drum. The hatch engaging member includes a closing abutment facing the ramped abutment. The closing abutment butts against the catch member during a closing rotation of the drum. There is a catch member support surface on the drum which tracks the circumference of the drum skin at a level to cooperate with the drum hatch engaging member. The support surface and the drum hatch engaging member cooperate to entrap the catch member in the outward position during opening and closing rotations of the drum. With a single actuator the mechanism can reliably open and close the drum without stopping the drum to engage and/or disengage from the drum hatch.

Growing community of inventors

Auckland, New Zealand

Hugh Griffith Johnson