General Electric Company

Jonathan Blair Talmadge

Steven Michael Recio

Richard Dean Suel, Ii

Ryan James Scheckelhoff

Scott Michael Gelber

Abhijeet Bhandwale

Byron Lee Boylston

Douglas Laurence Robertson

Heather Rae Posthauer

Systems and methods for safely powering an appliance user interface without external power are provided. One exemplary method includes receiving power generated by rotation of a rotor. The method further includes monitoring for the presence of a safety condition and disabling passive braking of the rotor when the safety condition is present such that the user interface of an appliance is powered. An exemplary washing machine can include a basket and a motor which includes a rotor, the motor being configured to rotate the basket by rotating the rotor. The washing machine can further include a user interface and a motor control circuit configured to drive the motor. The motor control circuit can be further configured to receive power generated by rotation of the rotor, monitor for the presence of a safety condition, and disable passive braking of the rotor when the safety condition is present.

System and method for safely powering an appliance user interface without external power

An appliance including a motor drive, a power supply circuit electrically coupling the motor drive to a power supply, a cabinet having an opening, a door for opening and closing the opening of the cabinet, and a door lock. When the door lock is in a locked position, the door lock is configured to secure the door and close a pathway of the power supply circuit thereby enabling a current to travel from the power supply through a pre-charge circuit to the motor drive.

Method and apparatus for closing a pathway of a power supply circuit by configuring a door lock in locked position to pre-charge a motor drive

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Jonathan Blair Talmadge