Abstract: A full automatic washing machine includes in an operation panel a display device together with power ON and OFF switches and a light-emitting diode serving as a pilot lamp. The display device is formed into the shape of a rectangular flat plate and has elasticity. The display device is constituted by a nematic curvilinear aligned phase (NCAP) liquid crystal panel and a reflecting plate. The display device includes a plurality of display sections for displaying a plurality of pieces of information about the washing operation. A membrane switch is disposed on the back of the display device. The membrane switch is turned on when the display device is depressed. The membrane switch has a plurality of key switches positioned so as to correspond to the display sections of the display device.

Abstract: An automatic washing machine includes a clutch float having external gear teeth. The clutch float is located around a shaft which is driven by an electric motor and to which an agitator is secured. The clutch float couples the shaft to an inner rotatable tub when its external gear teeth are engaged with internal gear teeth at the inner tub side in a dehydration step. The clutch float moves upwardly in subjection to buoyancy when water is supplied into the inner tub in a wash step. The external gear teeth of the clutch float are disengaged from the internal gear teeth so that the shaft is decoupled from the inner tub. The washing machine further includes a rotation restricting float which moves upwardly in subjection to the buoyancy in the wash step to couple the inner tub to an outer stationary tub and which decouples the inner tub from the outer tub in the dehydration step. A device delivers a position signal indicative of the position of the clutch float which is vertically movable.

Abstract: A washing machine includes a brushless motor, a position sensing element for sensing a rotational position of a rotor of the motor, a motor drive control circuit composed of an inverter main circuit for driving the motor and an inverter control circuit for controlling the inverter main circuit based on a signal generated by the position sensing element, a current detector for detecting a current flowing in the inverter main circuit, an overcurrent determining circuit generating an overcurrent detection signal when the current detected by the current detector exceeds a reference value, and an abnormal condition detector for generating an abnormal condition detection signal when the number of times of output of the overcurrent detection signal generated by the overcurrent determining circuit reaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: A washing machine includes a brushless motor, a position sensing element for sensing a rotational position of a rotor of the motor, a motor drive control circuit composed of an inverter main circuit for driving the motor and an inverter control circuit for controlling the inverter main circuit based on a signal generated by the position sensing element, a current detector for detecting a current flowing in the inverter main circuit, an overcurrent determining circuit generating an overcurrent detection signal when the current detected by the current detector exceeds a reference value, and an abnormal condition detector for generating an abnormal condition detection signal when the number of times of output of the overcurrent detection signal generated by the overcurrent determining circuit reaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: A washing machine has an entanglement detector. The detector detects forward load torque while a pulsator (water flow producing means) is being turned in a forward direction during one of the washing and rinsing operations as well as reverse load torque while the pulsator is being turned in a reverse direction. The detector calculates a difference between the forward load torque and the reverse load torque and determines that the washing are entangling with one another if the difference is greater than a reference value. The washing machine also has a disentangle unit for disentangling the washing if the entanglement detector determines that the washing are entangling.