Patent ID: 7581272
Filing Date: 2009-09-01
Classification: D06F

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling a spin cycle in an automatic clothes washer comprising an imperforate tub, a perforate basket located within the tub, a bearing assembly carried by the tub, a drive shaft rotationally supported in the bearing assembly and coupled to the basket to define a rotational axis of the basket, a drive assembly rotating the drive shaft, and a controller operably coupled to a drive assembly, with the controller controlling the drive mechanism to control a spin rate of the basket according to a spin cycle, the method comprising: rotating the basket from a rotational rate less than a resonance rate, which corresponds to a resonance frequency of the clothes washer, to a spin rate, which is greater than the resonance rate; determining a moment of force acting on the bearing assembly while the basket is rotating at a rate less than the resonance rate; comparing the determined moment of force to a threshold moment; and controlling the spin rate of the basket in response to the determined moment of force by accelerating the rotation rate of the basket to the spin rate when the determined moment is less than the threshold moment.