Abstract: A method for operating an electric motor with at least two motor terminals that are driven by a control device contains the steps of short-circuiting of at least two of the motor terminals of the electric motor by the control device; measurement of the motor phase currents at the short-circuited motor terminals; and identification of a standstill of the electric motor if a magnitude and/or a frequency of the motor phase currents measured lies below a predefined limit value. In the case of such a reliable identification of the standstill of the electric motor, an enable signal can then advantageously be generated in order, by way of example, to enable access to an apparatus driven by the electric motor.

Abstract: A laundry treatment appliance has a laundry treatment apparatus with a rotatably mounted laundry drum held in a housing such that it can move. The laundry treatment apparatus has an electric motor for driving the laundry drum, a control system for actuating the electric motor, a vibration sensor for detecting a vibratory movement of the laundry treatment apparatus, and a vibration-damping apparatus for damping a vibratory movement. The vibration-damping apparatus has at least one controllable vibration damper which can be actuated in dependence on the vibratory movement of the laundry treatment apparatus for changing the vibration-damping properties of the vibration damper. The control system, in the event of a malfunction in a power supply system, actuates the electric motor such that the electric motor generates electrical energy from a rotary movement of the laundry drum and makes it available to the control system.

Abstract: An internal unit of a washing machine or spin-dryer normally includes a washing container, which has a laundry drum mounted in the container such that it can rotate, and an electric motor for driving the laundry drum via a reduction gear, a transmission, or direct drive. The internal unit is suspended in a machine housing such that it can vibrate and constitutes an overall system which can vibrate in a damped manner and which is subject to unbalance-dependent resonance phenomena in specific regions of the rotational speed of the laundry drum. The causes of these resonance phenomena are vibratory movements due to momentary unbalances in the load in the laundry drum.

Abstract: A method for operating an electric motor with at least two motor terminals that are driven by a control device contains the steps of short-circuiting of at least two of the motor terminals of the electric motor by the control device; measurement of the motor phase currents at the short-circuited motor terminals; and identification of a standstill of the electric motor if a magnitude and/or a frequency of the motor phase currents measured lies below a predefined limit value. In the case of such a reliable identification of the standstill of the electric motor, an enable signal can then advantageously be generated in order, by way of example, to enable access to an apparatus driven by the electric motor.

Abstract: A probe for temporarily electrically contacting a solar cell for testing purposes, has at least one elastic, electrically conductive contact element for producing the electrical contact, at least one reference sensor for indicating a distance of the contact element to an external reference surface using an electrical signal of the reference sensor, and a mounting plane to which the tip of the contact element is oriented. The probe ensures a secure electrical contact of the solar cell in a testing station with minimal mechanical stress, and is also suitable for use in an industrial continuous production method.

Abstract: An internal unit of a washing machine or spin-dryer normally includes a washing container, which has a laundry drum mounted in the container such that it can rotate, and an electric motor for driving the laundry drum via a reduction gear, a transmission, or direct drive. The internal unit is suspended in a machine housing such that it can vibrate and constitutes an overall system which can vibrate in a damped manner and which is subject to unbalance-dependent resonance phenomena in specific regions of the rotational speed of the laundry drum. The causes of these resonance phenomena are vibratory movements due to momentary unbalances in the load in the laundry drum. To reduce these unbalance-dependent resonance phenomena, the internal unit is provided with a vibration sensor which is rigidly or substantially rigidly coupled to the internal unit.

Abstract: An apparatus detects a vibratory movement of the rotary shaft of an internal unit, which is suspended such that it can vibrate, of a washing machine having a laundry drum which is driven by an electric motor. The apparatus has a sensor part and a measured-value detector which is connected to the rotary shaft and provides a measured variable which varies periodically with the rotational speed of the rotary shaft and periodically with the vibratory movement in at least one direction parallel to the axis of rotation or in at least one radial direction.

Abstract: A heating conductor which can be fitted in a geometrical pattern into a radiant heating body is to be easy to fit and is to have good radiation properties. The heating conductor is separated in the form or partial form of the geometrical pattern out of a metal foil and forms heating limbs (1). In the geometrical pattern there are stabilisation limbs (5) whose width is less than the width of the heating limbs (1) in such a way that they can burn through upon the application of an electrical voltage which is harmless to the heating limbs (1).

Abstract: In an apparatus for wirelessly transmitting the temperature and an identifying characteristic of a cooking pot placed on one of the cooking zones of a stove to an electronic transmitting-receiving arrangement of the stove, the aim is to make it unnecessary to produce an operating voltage on the cooking pot. An antenna arrangement 4 of an electronic transmitting-receiving arrangement 14 is arranged under a cooking zone 2. A surface wave sensor 6 is exposed to the temperature of the cooking pot 5 and carries an identifying characteristic in the arrangement of its reflectors 11.

Abstract: Proposed is a temperature measuring device for a regulating circuit (10) in particular of an electrical radiant heating appliance with a heating conductor (2) arranged beneath a glass ceramic cooking surface (1), in which the heating conductor (2) itself suffices for temperature detection. There is provided a change-over switch (6) which cyclically connects the heating conductor (2) to a resistance measuring circuit (7). It detects the respective temperature-dependent ohmic resistance value of the heating conductor (2) and produces a temperature-proportional control signal for the regulating circuit (10).

Abstract: There is provided a radiant heating body (1) in which the temperature sensor (thermocouple element 12) of a temperature limiter is fitted at the hottest point on the underside of a glass ceramic plate (3). By virtue of that specific arrangement of the temperature sensor (12), with each type of heating arrangement, temperature measurement is effected directly at the hottest type-specific point. The temperature sensor (12) is desirably fitted in a ceramic tube (15) in order electrically to insulate it and to shield it from ambient heat.

Abstract: An output power regulating device for a radiant heating arrangement (2) having a temperature sensor (3) for detecting the temperature of the cooking surface (1), and a preselector (4), is to be so designed that it only supplies the required amount of energy to the radiant heating arrangement (2) in dependence on the thermal loading. For that purpose a microcontroller (10) cyclically detects the variation in respect of time of the actual temperature and the deviation thereof from the reference value. A memory (12) contains a value matrix for the possible pairs in respect of the variation and the deviation in the actual temperature. The microcontroller (10) takes the appropriate regulating value from the value matrix and with that value controls the radiant heating arrangement (2).