APPLIANCES WITH BRUSHLESS MOTORS
First Claim
1. A portable electric appliance comprising:
- a housing;
a brushless electric motor disposed in the housing;
a work output member operably interfaced with the brushless electric motor, said work output member being driven by a rotational output of the brushless electric motor for carrying out a work function of the appliance; and
a control circuit disposed in the housing for operating the brushless electric motor based on operation of a user control.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable electric appliance (1, 23) such as a hand held hair dryer uses a brushless electric motor (13, 25) in combination with a secondary fan assembly (14) and/or an air scoop (24) to redirect air toward the motor (13, 25), to maintain a cool operating temperature. The appliance includes a control circuit (50, 80, 94, 102, 110) for controlling the brushless motor (13, 25) and other appliance features. The control circuit and the coil windings (21) of the brushless electric motor are designed to run the appliance at a relatively low current to accommodate a higher operating voltage, thereby operating at a low wattage for reducing extraneous or waste heat. This facilitates placement of the control circuit in a small, portable appliance, and may enhance operation of the appliance in certain modes such as a hair dryer “cool shot.”
31 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A portable electric appliance comprising:
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a housing; a brushless electric motor disposed in the housing; a work output member operably interfaced with the brushless electric motor, said work output member being driven by a rotational output of the brushless electric motor for carrying out a work function of the appliance; and a control circuit disposed in the housing for operating the brushless electric motor based on operation of a user control. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification