General Electric Company

Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited

Fisher & Paykel Limited

Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limtied

John H Boyd, Jr

Daniel M Saban

Upesh Patel

Timothy Gordon Read

Alexander Muller

Zhuang Tian

Allen W Scott

Michael J Usher

Merle L Kemp

Delno C Abnet

Peter Sell

Gerald David Duncan

Gordon Cameron Otte

Christian John Wade Gianni

Michael Thomas Perry

Don C Nelson, Jr

A linear compressor has a hollow piston with crown and sidewall. The piston reciprocates in a cylinder. A piston rod connects the piston to a spring. A connection between the piston rod and the piston transmits axial forces directly to the piston crown. The connection transmits lateral forces to the piston at an axial location away from the piston crown. The connection allows rotational flexibility between the piston and the piston rod transverse to and uniformly around the piston reciprocation axis. Other improvements in or relating to linear compressors are disclosed and claimed.

Compressor improvements

A free piston gas compressor has a cylinder, a piston, the piston reciprocable within the cylinder in alternating compression and expansion strokes. A reciprocating linear electric motor is drivably coupled to the piston. A controller is programmed to control or adjust power input to the linear motor on the basis of a relationship including at least one of the present compression stroke or expansion stroke durations, the relationship being indicative of the top dead center (TDC) position of the piston, including in the absence of any collision. In the preferred embodiment the controller obtains a measure reflecting the difference between the compression stroke duration and the expansion stroke duration and adjusts the power input in response to the obtained measure.

Linear motor controller improvements

A control for a linear compressor energises the linear motor in harmony with the present natural frequency of the compressor. The controller monitors the present operating frequency and compares the frequency with one or more outer limit thresholds. The control may remove power from the linear motor if the running frequency drops below a lower threshold. The control may reduce power to the linear motor if the running frequency rises above an upper threshold. The control uses compressor running frequency to operate the comperssor within safe operating limits.

Linear compressor controller

A linear compressor has a hollow piston with crown and sidewall. The piston reciprocates in a cylinder. A piston rod connects the piston to a spring. A connection between the piston rod and the piston transmits axial forces directly to the piston crown. The connection transmits lateral forces to the piston at an axial location away from the piston crown. The connection allows rotational flexibility between the piston and the piston rod transverse to and uniformly around the piston reciprocation axis. Other improvements in or relating to linear compressors are disclosed.

A free-piston linear compressor () controlled to achieve high volumetric efficiency by a controller including an algorithm () for ramping up input power until piston-cylinder head collisions are detected using a detection algorithm () which then decrements power input whereupon input power is again ramped up by algorithm (). Non-damaging low energy collisions are achieved by the controller including a perturbation algorithm () which perturbates the input power ramp with periodic transient pulses of power to ensure piston collisions are provoked during the transient power pulses.

Refrigeration compressor

A tranverse flux motor having multiple stator phase windings which are electronically commutated to produce a rotating flux to drive a permanent magnet rotor located externally of the stator. The stator is formed by two complementary facing pieces each carrying half the stator poles, the latter preferably being of claw pole configuration. The stator windings are sandwiched between the stator pieces and wound about cores which magnetically couple the stator pieces. Preferably the number of motor phases (P) is selected from the series 2, 3, . . . , N, the number of windings per phase (W) is selected from the series 1, 2, . . . , M, the number of poles per winding (PW) is selected from the series 2, 4, . . . , L, and the number of stator poles (SP) is equal to the product P*WP*PW and the number of rotor poles is SP&plusmn;W.

Polyphase transverse flux motor

A dynamoelectric machine constructed for speed and accuracy of manufacturing has a stator core constructed of 90&deg; symmetrical stator laminations and the windings have differing numbers of poles which overlap in slots of the stator core are wound of the core formed by the laminations in unique fashion. The rotor bars of the machine are skewed to optimize performance of the machine when in the form of a single phase induction motor. Magnet wire leads of the windings are connected directly to terminals on a plug and terminal assembly which is formed for positive location on an end frame of the machine without welding or other fastening to the end frame. The end frames of the machine and stator laminations forming the stator core are formed so as to increase the precision of the final position of the stator relative to the rotor assembly of the dynamoelectric machine. The end frames are constructed for grounding without the use of fasteners or wire. The engagement of the end frames with the stator core is employed as the basis for alignment of the machine components.

Method of manufacturing a dynamoelectric machine

A dynamoelectric machine constructed for speed and accuracy of manufacturing has a stator core constructed of 90.degree. symmetrical stator laminations and the windings have differing numbers of poles which overlap in slots of the stator core are wound of the core formed by the laminations in unique fashion. The rotor bars of the machine are skewed to optimize performance of the machine when in the form of a single phase induction motor. Magnet wire leads of the windings are connected directly to terminals on a plug and terminal assembly which is formed for positive location on an end frame of the machine without welding or other fastening to the end frame. The end frames of the machine and stator laminations forming the stator core are formed so as to increase the precision of the final position of the stator relative to the rotor assembly of the dynamoelectric machine. The end frames are constructed for grounding without the use of fasteners or wire. The engagement of the end frames with the stator core is employed as the basis for alignment of the machine components.

Method for manufacturing a dynamoelectric machine

An electronically commutated brushless DC motor primarily for fractional horsepower applications of the type where at any instant one motor winding is unpowered and used to detect back EMF zero-crossings which information is used to initiate winding commutations. The duration of the pulse produced in this winding due to dissipation of stored energy by free-wheel diodes in parallel with the commutation devices after supply of current has been removed from this winding is used to provide a measure of motor current. This allows for simplified commutation device current limiting circuits and is available for control purposes which are a function of motor torque. There is also disclosed a method for maximizing useful power output by reducing the phase angle between the motor current and the back EMF. This is accomplished by introducing a delay in commutating the motor windings beyond the occurrence of each back EMF zero-crossing, with the delay being a function of the time between commutations.

Brushless DC motor control

An electric motor including a stator having a stator core, a start winding and first and second main windings is described. The first main winding and the start winding are configured to form a lower number of poles than the second main windings. The stator core forms a stator bore. The motor also includes a rotor having a rotor shaft concentrically arranged axially of the stator core and a rotor core positioned concentrically with the rotor shaft. Secondary conductors are arranged axially of the rotor shaft and extend through the rotor core. A plurality of permanent magnets are located at an outer periphery of the rotor core and are magnetized to form a number of poles equal to the number of poles formed by the second main winding.

Line start permanent magnet motor

A tandem press system for the high speed manufacture of rotor cores and stator cores of electric motors. The tandem press system includes a rotor press and a stator press arranged in series for stamping out laminations from a web of stock material and pre-assembling them into rotor cores and stator cores, respectively. Structure is provided between the rotor and stator press to maintain control of the web and provide a substantial barrier to transmission of vibrations in the web to the stator press. The rotor and stator presses are capable of shifting from stamping one type of lamination to stamping another type of lamination without any interruption in the operation of the presses.

Growing community of inventors

Holland, MI, United States of America

John H Boyd, Jr