The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 15, 1994
Filed:
Oct. 30, 1992
Thomas R Payne, Louisville, KY (US);
Steven A Rice, Louisville, KY (US);
William W Wead, Louisville, KY (US);
General Electric Company, Louisville, KY (US);
Abstract
An appliance electronic control system which tends to maintain a constant total cycle time, and thus an accurate 'Time Remaining' display, notwithstanding variations in the actual time required for a water fill operation. The control system includes a count down timer and a time remaining display indicating cycle time remaining based on the state of the count down timer. The count down timer is initialized to a state representing nominal total cycle time, which includes the sum of a nominal fill time for water filling operations, a nominal time duration for each of several pause intervals, and the time durations of operational modes under the direct control of the control system, such as agitate time and spin time. During operation, the count down timer is decremented at regular predetermined intervals. The first time the machine fills, the actual time for the filling operation is measured. If the machine takes time less than the nominal fill time to fill (fast fill), the pause intervals are lengthened to compensate for the unused time allocated for the fill. If the machine takes more time than the nominal fill time to fill (slow fill), the pause intervals are shortened to compensate for the extra time required for the fill. In situations where the actual fill time exceeds the compensation capability, a one-time adjustment of the 'Time Remaining' count down timer occurs at an appropriate point in the cycle. A safety feature to prevent excessive flooding due to faulty water level sensors is included.