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:
Oct. 21, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 30, 1999
Richard Edward Hornung, Fisherville, KY (US);
David Anthony Schneider, Lexington, KY (US);
Dennis Dane Tremblay, Geneva, IL (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
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 “OFF” cycle with the energy input during the “ON” 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.