US 11,864,691 B2
Intelligent blender
Gregary Hack, Hallandale, FL (US); Joseph C. Spencer, Hattiesburg, MS (US); and Henry H. Adair, Jr., Canton, GA (US)
Assigned to Sunbeam Products, Inc., Atlanta, GA (US)
Appl. No. 16/651,090
Filed by Sunbeam Products, Inc., Boca Raton, FL (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 2, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/053849
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 26, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/070629, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 11, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/566,743, filed on Oct. 2, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0229647 A1, Jul. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. A47J 43/046 (2006.01); A47J 43/042 (2006.01); A47J 43/08 (2006.01); A47J 43/07 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 43/046 (2013.01) [A47J 43/042 (2013.01); A47J 43/085 (2013.01); A47J 43/0727 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A blender comprising:
a base assembly;
a motor positioned within the base assembly;
a blender jar selectively engageable with the base assembly, the blender jar including an agitator blade assembly, the agitator blade assembly including at least one agitator blade and an agitator shaft for connection to the motor in the base assembly;
electronics housed within the base assembly and electronically connected to a power source, the electronics including at least one controller, memory for storing at least one operating program for controlling the operation of the motor, at least one current sensor coupled to the controller for measuring the current being utilized by the motor at any particular time, said at least one current sensor outputting a signal to the controller indicative of the current being utilized by the motor, and at least one speed sensor coupled to the controller for measuring the speed of the motor at any particular time, said at least one speed sensor outputting a signal to the controller indicative of the speed of the motor;
wherein signals from the current and speed sensors to the controller during operation of said at least one operating program controls the operation of the motor during execution of said at least one operating program,
wherein the controller is configured to analyze signals from the current and speed sensors and to compare changes in the measurements of the current and speed over a predetermined period of time, to predetermined values for changes to the measurements of the current and speed over the predetermined period of time stored in memory to determine if a cavitation situation exists within the blender jar;
wherein the controller is configured to determine the resistance placed on the at least one agitator blade based on signals from the current and speed sensor, and to compare the determined resistance with predetermined resistance values corresponding to light, medium or heavy loads to classify the load within the blender jar accordingly.