Abstract: A compact drive apparatus for a front-loading laundry treatment machine includes a support having a projection and a rear face, a shaft having an axis, a laundry drum having a rear wall, and a motor having magnetic poles and a stator with field windings and laminated cores. The laundry drum is mounted substantially horizontally on the support through the shaft. The rear wall has a bell-shaped depression with an inner circumference. The depression extends in a direction of the longitudinal axis and accommodates the projection. The motor is disposed on the rear face and directly drives the shaft. The laminated cores are disposed on the projection, and the magnetic poles are distributed on the inner circumference and are disposed externally opposite the laminated cores to accommodate the field windings with an air gap therebetween. Preferably, the projection is a bell-shaped flange of the support or of the rear wall of the support to surround the shaft as a bearing sleeve.

Abstract: In a washing machine with a drive apparatus and a suds container on whose rear wall the drive apparatus is disposed, an isolation layer is provided between stator cores of the motor and a stator supporting part or a supporting element to suppress discharge currents that occur during high-frequency conversion in the motor.

Abstract: A front-loading washing machine includes a tub having a rear wall with an inside surface, an outside surface, and a center, a bearing sleeve connected to the rear wall, a shaft disposed in the bearing sleeve and at the center of the rear wall, a motor connected to the outside surface of the rear wall at a distance from the center of the rear wall, a gear mechanism connected to the shaft and to the motor, and a laundry container mounted in a floating manner to the bearing sleeve through the shaft. The motor produces a torque and the gear mechanism transmits the torque produced by the motor to the shaft. The motor drives the laundry container. If the laundry container has a filling opening inclined upward, then the motor is disposed beneath the shaft in a region between the tub rear wall and a rear wall of the washing machine.

Abstract: A washing tub includes a rear wall injection molded from plastic and connected by positive and/or non-positive fitting to a stator support part integrated therein. The stator support part is of metal. A reinforcing ring of the rear wall encloses the stator support part with a collar.

Abstract: A drive apparatus in a washing machine having a suds container with a rear face and a laundry drum mounted within the suds container includes a flat electric motor for directly driving the laundry drum. The motor is mounted on the rear face and has a stiff support connected thereto, a first bearing, a rotor with a hollow shaft, and a stator connected to the support. The stator and rotor are connected to one another through the first bearing and are jointly removable. A shaft floatingly mounts the laundry drum within the suds container and is mounted within the support through a second bearing. The shaft has a shaft journal projecting out of the support. The hollow shaft of the rotor surrounds the journal. The stator and rotor are jointly connected to the journal. Instead of the support, the rear wall can be reinforced to include the bearings therein.

Abstract: A front-loading washing machine includes a tub having a rear wall with an inside surface, an outside surface, and a center, a bearing sleeve connected to the rear wall, a shaft disposed in the bearing sleeve and at the center of the rear wall, a motor connected to the outside surface of the rear wall at a distance from the center of the rear wall, a gear mechanism connected to the shaft and to the motor, and a laundry container mounted in a floating manner to the bearing sleeve through the shaft. The motor produces a torque and the gear mechanism transmits the torque produced by the motor to the shaft. The motor drives the laundry container. If the laundry container has a filling opening inclined upward, then the motor is disposed beneath the shaft in a region between the tub rear wall and a rear wall of the washing machine.

Abstract: A drive apparatus in a washing machine having a suds container with a rear face and a laundry drum mounted within the suds container includes a flat electric motor for directly driving the laundry drum. The motor is mounted on the rear face and has a stiff support connected thereto, a first bearing, a rotor with a hollow shaft, and a stator connected to the support. The stator and rotor are connected to one another through the first bearing and are jointly removable. A shaft floatingly mounts the laundry drum within the suds container and is mounted within the support through a second bearing. The shaft has a shaft journal projecting out of the support. The hollow shaft of the rotor surrounds the journal. The stator and rotor are jointly connected to the journal. Instead of the support, the rear wall can be reinforced to include the bearings therein.

Abstract: A drive apparatus for a washing machine having a laundry drum and a suds container includes a stiff supporting star having a bearing sleeve for mounting the laundry drum of the washing machine in the bearing sleeve, a substantially horizontal shaft for connecting the supporting star to the rear wall of the suds container, a flat motor for directly driving the laundry drum, and a bearing. The motor is to be mounted on the rear wall of the suds container. The motor is connected to the supporting star and has a stator support, field windings connected to the stator support, a rotor connected to the shaft through a bearing of the shaft, and magnetic poles connected to the rotor. The bearing connects the stator support to the rotor.

Abstract: A method and appliance for determining the angular position of a laundry drum and a power consumption of an electric motor driving the drum to derive therefrom a laundry weight in the drum includes directly driving the drum with the motor from a lower laundry position to a raised position where a laundry center of gravity is offset from a rotation axis to produce a loading weight from the driving current of the electric motor measured when the raised position is reached. Alternatively or additionally, the drum is turned until the controller detects a power consumption of the electric motor corresponding to a stored maximum current value to derive a weight of the laundry from a signal corresponding to the angular distance. The controller stores a predetermined, defined maximum current value and measures a power consumption of the electric motor.

Abstract: A compact drive apparatus for a front-loading laundry treatment machine includes a support having a projection and a rear face, a shaft having an axis, a laundry drum having a rear wall, and a motor having magnetic poles and a stator with field windings and laminated cores. The laundry drum is mounted substantially horizontally on the support through the shaft. The rear wall has a bell-shaped depression with an inner circumference. The depression extends in a direction of the longitudinal axis and accommodates the projection. The motor is disposed on the rear face and directly drives the shaft. The laminated cores are disposed on the projection, and the magnetic poles are distributed on the inner circumference and are disposed externally opposite the laminated cores to accommodate the field windings with an air gap therebetween. Preferably, the projection is a bell-shaped flange of the support or of the rear wall of the support to surround the shaft as a bearing sleeve.

Abstract: A washing machine includes a laundry drum mounted through an at least approximately horizontally disposed shaft within a bearing sleeve of a rigid star carrier attached to a bottom wall of a tub. A drive device for the washing machine can be mounted on the rear side of the tub. The drive device includes a flat or pancake motor having a stator carrying part with exciting windings and a rotor with magnetizable poles, for driving the laundry drum directly. The stator carrying part and the rotor of the motor are releasably connected to one another, with the stator carrying part in a position relative to the rotor corresponding to an operating position, for a duration of transport of the motor until a final mounting on the bottom wall of the tub. Therefore, the motor can be delivered, ready-preassembled and tested, to the factory manufacturing washing machines.

Abstract: A washing machine includes a tub having a bottom wall and a laundry drum having an at least approximately horizontally disposed shaft. A drive device for the washing machine includes a flat motor for directly driving the laundry drum shaft. The motor includes a rotor having a rotor shaft and a stator connected to the bottom wall of the tub instead of to a rigid carrying part with a bearing sleeve for the laundry drum shaft. The stator has a central bearing sleeve with one or two spaced-apart rolling bearings for the rotor shaft. The rotor shaft has an end facing the laundry drum with a concentric bore for receiving the laundry drum shaft. The bore reaches approximately into a plane of the drum-side rolling bearing. The rotor has a bell fastened to an outer end of the rotor shaft with an edge pointing toward the tub. Magnetizable poles are distributed on the inner periphery of the edge and across airgaps oppose a number of exciting windings distributed circularly on the stator.

Abstract: A front-loading washing machine includes a tub having a rear wall, an at least approximately horizontally disposed shaft, a laundry drum mounted overhung on the shaft, and a rigid supporting part fitted to the rear wall. A drive device for the washing machine includes a flat-type motor fitted to the rear wall for directly driving the shaft. The motor has a rotor formed entirely of magnetizable steel and a stator connected on the rigid supporting part or to the rear wall of the tub. The rotor has a hub encompassing and centrally fastened on an outer end of the shaft, a multiplicity of openings between the hub and a peripheral part, and a bell-like flange on the peripheral part pointing toward the tub. The stator has a central bearing sleeve for the shaft and for the hub and it has exciter windings. Laminate stacks are distributed on the stator for receiving the windings. The stacks are outwardly opposed by the flange with an air gap.

Abstract: A drive device for a front-loading washing machine having a washing liquid-container with a rear wall, an at least substantially horizontal shaft with an outer end, and a laundry drum supported overhung on the shaft, includes a flat motor for directly driving the shaft. The flat motor has a rotor fastened at the outer end of the shaft and a stator rigidly attached to the rear wall of the washing liquid container and having exciter windings, an integrated flange with an inner periphery and a central bearing sleeve for the shaft. Lamination stacks receive the exciter windings and are distributed at the inner periphery of the flange. The rotor has circumferentially distributed magnetizable poles disposed opposite and across a minimum air gap from the lamination stacks.

Abstract: A drive device for a front-loading washing machine having a washing liquid-container with a rear wall, an at least substantially horizontal shaft having an outer end, and a laundry drum supported overhung on the shaft, includes a flat motor mounted at the rear wall of the washing liquid container for directly driving the shaft. The flat motor has a stator connected to the rear wall of the washing liquid container or to a stiff carrier part mounted at the rear wall of the washing liquid container. The stator has a central bearing sleeve for the shaft.