Patent ID: 6477866
Filing Date: 2002-11-12
Classification: D06F

Abstract:
In a washing machine having a motor coupled to spin a basket, a brake adapted to stop the basket from spinning, and a brake failure system adapted to generate a brake failure signal indicative that the brake is failing, the motor being selectively energizable through a relay having a relay coil, the relay coil having first and second supply terminals, a motor cut-off comprising:a fuse having a conducting state and a non-conducting state, the fuse including first and second terminals, the fuse first terminal being coupled to the coil first supply terminal and the fuse second terminal being coupled to a first supply node; a lid switch having a first state and a second state, the lid switch coupling the coil second supply terminal to a second supply node only in the first state, the motor being energizable only when the fuse is in the conducting state and the lid switch is in the first state; and a blow switch responsive to the brake failure signal to selectively couple the fuse first terminal to a third supply node to cause the fuse to go into the non-conducting state in response to the brake failure signal to thus prevent the motor from being energizable when the lid switch is in the first state.