General Electric Company

Richard E Hornung

Walter Whipple

Sudhir D Savkar

John Marshall Hooker

Richard Leland Butsch

Wolfgang Daum

Vivek Venugopal Badami

David Anthony Schneider

Robert Marten Bultman

Mark Edward Dausch

John Steven Holmes

Rollie Richard Herzog

James A White

Louis H Fitzmayer

Jerry J Queen, Ii

Donald Richard Dickerson, Jr

Dennis Dane Tremblay

Carl E Wellman, Jr

Patrick C Luken

Flora L Meek

A refrigeration system includes a first refrigeration chamber, a second refrigeration chamber in flow communication with said the first refrigeration chamber, a sealed system for producing desired temperature conditions in the first refrigeration chamber and the second refrigeration chamber, and a controller operatively coupled to the sealed system. The controller is configured to accept a plurality of user-selected inputs including at least a first refrigeration chamber temperature and a second refrigeration chamber temperature, and to execute a plurality of algorithms to selectively control the first refrigeration chamber at a temperature above the second refrigeration chamber and at a temperature below the second chamber. Various control algorithms are provided for maintaining desired temperature conditions in the refrigeration chambers.

Refrigerator system and software architecture

An automatic temperature control system which limits the total number of valve cycles for the cold and hot water valves to, for example, a total of ten cycles yet also provides the desired temperature control of water supplied to the wash tub is described. To limit the number of valve cycles, and in one embodiment, the automatic temperature control (ATC) system includes a microprocessor which integrates the temperature of the water provided to the wash tub over time to predict the length of the time period required for the next water valve cycle. The integration balances the energy input on the &ldquo;OFF&rdquo; cycle with the energy input during the &ldquo;ON&rdquo; cycle. Such balancing limits the number of valve cycles thereby reducing the possibility for premature valve failure and facilitating reduced noise. The ATC control system also provides a pre-treater function. When the pre-treater function is selected, e.g., by depressing a momentary switch mounted on the control panel, and provided that the lid is open, the control system energizes the cold water valve for 7 seconds. As a result, cold water flows into the wash tub. The system provides temperature control yet limits the number of valve cycles during a fill even with extreme water temperatures. Even with such cycle limitations, the control provides the desired temperature control.

Automatic temperature control for clothes washer

A dishwasher sanitation cycle includes sampling a temperature of rinse water inside a dishwasher, executing a heating cycle to keep water temperature at optimal levels, and executing a heat sum cycle to ensure that dishes are sanitized according to accepted standards.

Dishwasher sanitation cycle

A washing machine having a variable speed motor. The washing machine has a basket for holding articles to be washed and has a first axis of rotation. A basket drive shaft connected to the basket drives the basket. An agitator disposed in the basket along the first axis of rotation agitates the article in the basket. An agitator drive shaft connected to the agitator drives the agitator. A variable speed motor, having a second axis of rotation which is not coincident with the first axis of rotation, drives the basket drive shaft and the agitator drive shaft. A coupler couples motion of the variable speed motor to the agitator drive shaft and basket drive shaft.

Washing machine having a variable speed motor

A range burner surface heater system includes an input selector, a control, a surface heating unit, and a pair of low cost relay switches. The input selector is connected to the control, and the switches are responsive to the control. The surface heating unit is located between the low cost relay switches, with each relay switch connected to a separate power line. The relay switches are alternately opened and closed to energize the surface heating unit singly and in combination. At lower power levels, the switches are operated at current levels of one half the rated current of each switch to extend the life of the switches.

Range surface heating unit relay power switching control

An energy saving method of operating a washing machine such that the amount of water added to the washer basket is proportionate to the weight of the articles to be washed includes the steps of determining a normalized inertia of the washer basket loaded with articles to be cleaned; determining an estimated weight of the load of articles to be washed based upon the normalized inertia value; and controlling a washer water supply system to add a load-specific volume of water to the washer basket, the magnitude of the load-specific volume of water corresponding to the estimated weight of the articles to be washed. An energy efficient washing machine in accordance with this invention includes an induction motor coupled to the washer basket, a washer water supply system coupled to the washer basket, and a washer controller coupled to the drive motor and the washer water supply system so as to respectively control operation thereof. The washer controller includes a load weight circuit for generating control signals for the washer water supply system to add a load-specific volume of water to the washer basket in correspondence with an inertia-based estimated load weight signal generated by the load weight circuit.

Energy efficient washer with inertia based method for determining load

A control includes a shaft rotatable between a plurality of positions. The base of a spring is fixed relative to the shaft and arms extend from the base parallel to the shaft. Each arm includes a resilient finger and a nose projects from each finger toward the shaft. The noses are 180 angular degrees apart and at different positions longitudinally of the shaft. A cam rotates with the shaft and the noses are biased against the outer surface of the cam. A plurality of recesses are angularly spaced apart around the outer surface of the cam in pairs which are spaced 180 angular degrees apart. One of each pair of recesses is longitudinally aligned with one nose and the other of that pair is longitudinally aligned with the other nose. The noses and recesses provide a detent when the recesses of a pair are angularly aligned with the noses with which they are longitudinally aligned and do not form a detent when the shaft is substantially 180 angular degrees removed therefrom. An additional pair of recesses are spaced 180 angular degrees apart and are elongated to longitudinally align with both noses. The additional pair of recesses are angularly aligned with the noses to facilitate mounting the cam on or removing the cam from the shaft.

Improved control selector mechanism

A power switching arrangement for a self-cleaning oven appliance incorporating a unique arrangement of two double throw relays in the oven power control circuit. The two relays are operatively interconnected to selectively couple the oven bake and broil elements to the three wire power supply to switch the bake element across L1 and L2 and the broil element across L1 and N when operating in the bake mode, and switch the bake element out of the circuit and the broil element across L1 and L2, when operating in the broil mode. The interconnection is accomplished in a manner which prevents both heating elements from being simultaneously energized at full power regardless of the failure mode of the switching circuitry, thereby eliminating the need for a thermal limit switch to guard against excessive temperatures in the oven resulting from worst case switching circuit failures.

Power switching arrangement for cooking oven

An improved temperature sensor failure detection arrangement for a temperature controlled heating device of the type having a heater, an electronic controller for controlling the power level applied to the heater, and a temperature sensor. The controller includes an internal heater energy counter, which is incremented and decremented at rates determined as a function of the power level applied to the heater such that the count of the heater energy counter approximately tracks the temperature of the heater. The controller periodically compares temperature information from the temperature sensor with the count of the heater energy counter to check for abnormal operating condition of the temperature sensor. An abnormal condition is detected when the count of the heater energy counter is within a predetermined reference range and the sensed temperature is outside a correlative predetermined reference temperature range, which ranges are selected such that under normal operating conditions, whenever the count is within the predetermined range, the temperature will be within the reference temperature range.

Temperature sensor failure detection arrangement using a heater energy

A control circuit is disclosed for appliances such as dishwashers and clothes washers employing a microprocessor programmed to respond to user selected options to determine the operating sequence of the appliance. The control circuit includes a manually operable switch which when actuated generates a reset signal which interrupts or cancels appliance operation by resetting the microprocessor and additionally generates an initiating signal which when detected by the microprocessor following reset, causes the microprocessor to initiate a drain cycle to remove any water present in the appliance as part of the reset program routine.

Manual reset control circuit for microprocessor controlled washing

A ground fault interrupter type device for protecting an electrical load device such as a range which has conductors supplied from a power source including overcurrent interruption means for interrupting the power source when a predetermined current threshold is exceeded. The electrical load device is subject to a first class of failure characterized by excessive current flow between at least one of the conductors and a ground reference point, with circuit current remaining at or below the predetermined current threshold; and to a second class of failure characterized by current through at least one of the conductors being above the predetermined current threshold. Failures of the second class include ground fault failures. In order to reduce the current interruption capability requirement for the ground fault interrupter device, there is included a means for preventing conductor interruption thereby in the event a failure of the second class occurs. Accordingly, the current-interrupting capability is at least as high as the predetermined current threshold but less than the maximum current which may flow during a failure of the second class. In the illustrated embodiments, the means for preventing conductor interruption in the event a failure of the second class occurs is a time delay which delays the activation of the ground fault interrupter for an interval sufficient to allow the overcurrent interruption means to interrupt the power source in the event a failure of the second class occurs.

Ground fault protective system requiring reduced current-interrupting

A reset generator circuit including a power monitor subcircuit which provides first and second logic level signals which specify the power supply as being above or below a preselected threshold level. A logic circuit comprising a series of interconnected NAND gates responds to the output signals generated by the power monitor subcircuit and to a signal from a capacitor charge monitor circuit. The capacitor charge monitor circuit develops logic signals which reflect the magnitude of the voltage across a capacitor which is part of a timing circuit. The control signal output from the logic circuit drives one input to a reset control gate and also controls the charge on the capacitor. The other input to the reset gate is also driven by the charge monitor circuit. The reset gate operates a switching element which provides the proper reset signal adapted for coupling to a microprocessor.

Reset signal generator

A piezoelectric transducer frequency self-calibration system interrogates the transducer by driving it with various frequencies within a specified range while monitoring the transducer output power level. Two threshold frequency points are identified at which the output power level is at a predetermined threshold level less than the expected maximum output level, and the average of these two threshold frequencies is taken to be the optimum frequency.

Piezoelectric audible alarm frequency self-calibration system

A food temperature-sensing probe assembly for monitoring the internal temperature of food while it is being cooked in a microwave oven includes a disc-like reflector either slidably or fixedly mounted on the probe housing adjacent to, but spaced from, the food. The reflector serves to prevent overcooking of the food in a region immediately adjacent the probe.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, KY, United States of America

Richard E Hornung