Patent ID: 8499392

Claim:
A method comprising the steps of: accelerating a clothes basket of a machine, said clothes basket rotating about an axis, said clothes basket containing a load of clothing; as said clothes basket passes a first predetermined rotational speed, limiting one of power and torque applied to said clothes basket to a level less than a maximum available level of one of power and torque; determining whether said clothes basket reaches a second predetermined rotational speed within a predetermined time from passing said first predetermined rotational speed; and responsive to said clothes basket not reaching said second predetermined rotational speed within said predetermined time, determining that an out-of-balance condition exists as to said load of clothing; wherein said second predetermined rotational speed is greater than said first predetermined rotational speed, and wherein no resonance of said machine lies between said first and second predetermined rotational speed; and wherein said level less than said maximum available level of one of power and torque corresponds to a level sufficient to accelerate a substantially balanced load in said clothes basket to said second predetermined rotational speed within said predetermined time but less than that required to accelerate a substantially out-of-balance load in said clothes basket to said second predetermined rotational speed within said predetermined time.