Voltage doubling circuit for laundry treating appliance with high power variable frequency drive
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorDaniel Quinn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A circuit that increases input voltage to higher output voltage connected to a variable frequency drive in an appliance. Several switching arrangements, timing, and safety mechanisms are in place to assist. When the circuit experiences high draw, high voltage output values of circuit decrease over time, but different aspects of the circuit can be constructed so that the amount of time required at a higher voltage does not exceed the amount of time in which the high voltage output is provided.
Claims20
A home appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation, comprising:
- a motor;
- and
- a voltage doubling circuit, further comprising:
- a power input configured to receive a voltage supply from a power source;
- at least one capacitor bank connected with the power input;
- a current-limiting surge suppressor positioned between the power input and the at least one capacitor bank;
- a voltage drain configured to dissipate a charge of the at least one capacitor bank;
- and
- a variable frequency drive (VFD) configured to cause the motor to operate, and operable when supplied with a voltage greater than the voltage supply from the power source.
A home appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation, comprising:
- a motor;
- and
- a voltage doubling circuit, further comprising:
- a power input configured to receive a voltage supply from a power source;
- at least one capacitor bank connected with the power input;
- a current-limiting surge suppressor positioned between the power input and the at least one capacitor bank that includes a current-limiting path and a parallel bypass path wherein the current-limiting path is enabled and the bypass path is disabled until the at least one capacitor bank is charged to approximately seventy percent of a peak voltage of the voltage supply;
- and
- a variable frequency drive (VFD) configured to cause the motor to operate, and operable when supplied with a voltage greater than the voltage supply from the power source.
A method of operating a voltage doubling circuit for a laundry treating appliance configured to perform a cycle of operation, the method comprising:
- receiving, at the voltage doubling circuit, a voltage supply from a power source;
- charging at least one capacitor bank through a current-limiting surge suppressor defining a current-limiting path connected with the voltage supply;
- upon charging the at least one capacitor bank to approximately seventy percent of a peak voltage of the voltage supply, charging the at least one capacitor bank through a bypass path configured to bypass the current-limiting path of the current-limiting surge suppressor;
- and
- at least partially discharging the at least one capacitor bank to supply a voltage greater than the voltage supply to a variable frequency drive (VFD) operable to cause a motor to operate during a high power draw portion of the cycle of operation, wherein the high power draw portion of the cycle of operation includes causing the motor to accelerate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.