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US 6,305,610 B1Granted
Automatic fluid temperature controller and washing machine incorporating same
AssigneeRanco Incorporated of Delaware
InventorBay E. Estes
Life of this patent
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AssigneeRanco Incorporated of Delaware
InventorBay E. Estes
Estimating the term…
A water temperature control circuit for a washing machine includes window detector and dual water valve drivers to modulate the hot and cold water valves to maintain the water temperature at a desired level. A temperature selector switch provides hot, regulated hot, warm, regulated warm, and cold temperature settings for the washing machine. During regulated temperature operation the window detector modulates one of the water valves to maintain the water temperature within a narrow temperature band. The window comparator includes two comparators that receive a common temperature input from a temperature sensing element. As such, no shunt resistor is required for one or the other comparators, thus improving accuracy. The control circuit operates open loop with respect to the hot and cold water valves that it controls, utilizing instead only the temperature input for controlling the proper water valve when enabled.
A fluid temperature control circuit for a washing machine having a hot water valve and a cold water valve controllable to provide a flow of hot and cold water, respectively, into a washing chamber, and a temperature selector switch having a first output to energize the hot water valve, a second output to energize the cold water valve, and a third output to enable operation of the fluid temperature control circuit, the fluid temperature control circuit comprising:
A system for controlling the temperature of an aggregate fluid having hot and cold fluid constituents, each of the hot and the cold fluid constituents being separately controlled by a hot fluid valve and a cold fluid valve, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.